Forever
by LadySnowTheStark
Summary: BEGA has been dismantled, the BBA is back, and the BladeBreakers are ready for another tournament. But Kai is still reeling from the shock of what happened to Dranzer. Out of options, Anastasia Nikol is enlisted to do the impossible: fix Kai's beyblade. It's a good thing she loves a challenge, because Dranzer's master is the most complex one of all. Kai/OC, and lots of single Tala!
1. Chapter 1

Kai leaned back in his chair, watching Mr. Dickenson's affectionate smile never waver from across the room. He had been waiting twenty minutes for the new technician to show up, and whoever he was, he was late. Despite the fact that Dranzer was in desperate need of a repair, Kai was getting annoyed. He had things to do and a team to train; he didn't have time to hang around in offices and wait for geeky computer nerds to show up.

"Maybe this is a bad time," he said finally. "I can come back another day."

Mr. Dickenson immediately shook his head. "You know as well as I do, Kai, that Dranzer needs a skilled hand before she can perform at the same level as before," he said. "Kenny is good, but he's not the best. The BBA owes you, and we've flown in this technician from Los Angeles. You'll be surprised, the American BBA was full of praise."

Kai huffed and ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. Mr. Dickenson looked like he wanted to say something else, but at that moment his intercom beeped.

"Anastasia Nikol is on her way up, sir," his secretary's voice rang through the room clearly. She sounded bored and indifferent. "She was running and she doesn't have a pass, but I couldn't stop her."

Mr. Dickenson chuckled. "Its alright, Emma. I'm sure we'll manage." He turned off the intercom and a sharp knock sounded at the door. Kai raised an eyebrow. Mr. Dickenson winked and folded his arms across his chest. He looked like he was trying very hard not to laugh. "Come in."

The door opened and Kai's mouth fell open when he saw who had almost fallen into the room. The technician was a girl. And not just any girl. This girl was a tall, leggy brunette with perfectly manicured nails and a set of deep blue eyes that didn't even look up from the ground as she bent down, hands on her knees to regain her breath. One of the straps of her tank top left her shoulder bare and her shorts showed off her tanned legs quite nicely. She straightened up and shifted her laptop bag from one shoulder to the other and ran a hand through her hair. Kai allowed himself to stare for exactly thirty seconds before his expression became stoic once again. She hadn't looked at him yet; she was smiling at Mr. Dickenson. She had perfect teeth.

"I'm sorry I'm late," her accent was American, her voice feminine and not unpleasant, he decided. She sounded chagrined. "I lost track of time. I hope it wasn't too inconvenient."

"Well, Kai was ready to give up but I convinced him to have some hope," Mr. Dickenson indicated the other occupant of the room with his head, his eyes twinkling. Anastasia turned around in confusion before spotting him in the corner.

"Oh, you must be Kai," she smiled a little and ran a hand through her hair again. Her cheeks turned pink. "I've heard a lot about you, I'm a big fan. Sorry, I just got lost," she gestured around the room vaguely and Kai raised an eyebrow. She blushed and looked away. "Anyway, you wanted to see me about a trashed beyblade?"

"Ah, yes," Mr. Dickenson leaned forward on his desk and nodded. "Have a seat, my dear. I'm sure you're aware of the situation that Kai's Dranzer beyblade was in after the BEGA fiasco last year," Anastasia nodded as she put her laptop bag on the floor, settling into a chair. The bag made an odd sound, as if it were filled with metallic objects; Kai frowned. "Well, the situation was resolved for a while, but Kai says he's been having trouble and of course we don't want any more damage. I was hoping you would take a look."

Anastasia frowned in confusion. "But I thought there were no issues?"

"There weren't," said Kai. Anastasia turned around in her seat as he continued to speak. "The team's technician fixed it and I know there's nothing wrong with it but it doesn't feel the same."

"I've heard that before," Anastasia shrugged. "Its never anything big, but I don't know the extent of the damage I'm dealing with. When can I start?"

"Well, I know Kai would like to get comfortable with you before giving you his Dranzer. However, its all up to him," Mr. Dickenson smiled. "When he wants to give you Dranzer, he will."

Anastasia raised an eyebrow. "All due respect, sir, I have a job and not a lot of time. _Or_ money," her tone became pointed now.

"You also have a beyblade, and you were quite good last time I saw you," pointed out Mr. Dickenson. "Battle each other, learn his moves, help him get comfortable and then fix his beyblade. It's a great deal to ask, Anastasia, I know. But I know your love of the game. And, of course, it will be made worth your while."

"It better," she muttered to herself, then sighed. "Of course, I'll do it," she got up and grabbed her bag off the floor, making her way towards the door. She turned around once her hand was on the handle and raised her eyebrows at Kai. "Are you coming?"

"Where are we going?" he couldn't stop himself from asking as he got up from his seat. That was odd. He didn't speak this much to new people, no matter how nice their legs were.

Anastasia shrugged and pulled open the door. "You tell me. What's a girl got to do to find a decent workstation around here?"

"Workstation?"

Anastasia rolled her eyes. "Laboratory, technician's lounge, a room with a table and a lot of light… anything will work, I'm not picky," she held up her bag. "I just need to dump this somewhere and then we can get to know each other and become best friends like Dickenson obviously wants."

Kai snorted. "I doubt that's going to happen."

Anastasia gave him a calculating look as they walked. "Yeah, I think you actually believe that." And then she grinned. "Were you expecting a geeky computer nerd?"

Kai blinked. "What?"

"Well, I saw your face when you walked in. L.A. beach girl was definitely not what Dickenson had prepared you for."

"He hadn't told me anything about you."

"But he told you I'm good?"

"Hn."

Anastasia snorted, obviously not put off by his noncommittal response. "He lied. I'm the best. Everyone knows that. You can call your buddies in the PBB All-Starz if you want; I taught Emily everything she knows."

"We've beaten them," Kai couldn't resist pointing out.

"Their technology is superior, but you guys had heart, and they sorely lacked that."

He had said enough. She talked too much. "Hn."

They lapsed into silence until they reached the end of the corridor. There was an empty room, and Kai automatically opened the door for Anastasia to walk in first. She peered inside suspiciously, then nodded. "This will work." Unceremoniously, she dropped her bag onto the floor near the door and then turned to face Kai. "So, Mr. Superstar Beyblader, where are we off to now?"

Kai frowned. "What?"

"Well, I'm new and I have no idea what I'm supposed to do here until we become best friends, so what's on the agenda until then?"

Kai raised an eyebrow. "I'm not babysitting you, Anastasia."

"Anna."

"What?"

"Anna. Only my sister calls me Anastasia and her name is Tatiana so we don't use nicknames," she explained. Kai stared at her in amazement. When had he asked for an introduction into her personal life? She took his staring to mean he wanted more information. "People automatically assume 'Anya' is short for Anastasia but I really prefer Anna."

Kai exhaled with frustration and leaned against the wall, folding his arms across his chest. Anastasia rested a hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow. Kai huffed. "What?"

To his surprise, she burst into laughter. "That's all you can say to me!" her laugh was nice; it wasn't pitchy or breathless. She genuinely sounded amused. Her eyes twinkled as she caught him staring. "See something you like?"

Slightly shocked by her boldness but refusing to let it show, Kai snorted. "Hardly."

Anastasia rolled her eyes. "You don't have to be rude, I get it if you're gay."

Kai almost lost his balance and fell flat on his face in shock. "What?"

"You did it again. _What_?" Anastasia mimicked him and giggled at his expression of shock. "It's okay, Kai. I don't judge."

Kai opened his mouth to ask her exactly what it was that she got, but at that moment his phone started ringing. Glaring at the girl opposite him, he dug it out of his jacket pocket and walked a few paces away for some privacy. To his surprise, Anastasia promptly sat down on the floor in the spot where she had been standing, gracefully folding her legs under her. Shaking his head, Kai held his phone to his ear. "What, Tala?"

 _"Somebody's touchy. Where are you?"_

"The BBA."

 _"The guys left for lunch without you but I'm on my way over."_

"Okay."

 _"You could thank me, jackass."_

Kai rolled his eyes. "When do you get here?"

 _"I just left. Hey, are you still trying to find a technician?"_

"Found one. She's insane."

 _"It's a girl?"_ Kai could almost imagine Tala rubbing his hands with glee. _"Is she hot?"_

 _Yes._ He refrained from informing his oldest friend, and resident womanizer, of that part. "She's insane."

 _"They're the best kind."_

"You need a life."

 _"So do you. I want to meet her. Bring her with you."_

"No way-"

 _"My car, my treat, my rules. You owe me after you scared away Marissa."_

Kai rolled his eyes and hung up, effectively ending the conversation. Tala and he were close; they weren't brothers but they had been through a lot and after practically killing each other a few times, they had ended up putting their differences behind them. BEGA had been the turning point. When Kai had been in the hospital, Tala had always stuck around, refusing to coddle him and only speaking as much as Kai could take. He knew he owed the redhead for that, so when Tala wanted to stay in Japan, Kai had told Tyson to make room for him. Kai wasn't willing to spend more time than necessary with Anastasia but knowing Tala was stubborn and annoying, he grudgingly walked back to her. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor and typing onto her phone.

"You've trashed your blade every time you've battled Tyson Granger," her voice was conversational as she continued typing. "I never bothered researching you because you were quite good, but this kid really gives you a run for your money every time, doesn't he?"

Kai froze, completely taken aback by the topic of conversation. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Except for that time with Brooklyn, when you lost fair and square and received quite a few injuries in the bargain," Anastasia spoke as if she hadn't heard him. She looked up at him suddenly and her eyes zeroed in on the bangs that cast a slight shadow over his forehead. "Is that why your hair is so long? Half of your face was scarred."

"How do you know all that?" asked Kai flatly, ignoring her question.

"Internet," she got up from the floor and pointed to her phone. "I like to know who I'm working for and hacking is a personal hobby."

"Use your hacking to find out about my stats, not my personal life."

"Easy, tiger," she rolled her eyes. "You're a beyblader; your stats are all about your personal life. Learn to live with it and most of all, learn to live with me."

"If you think I'm going to tolerate any annoying habits just because you're fixing my beyblade, you're mistaken."

"I don't like the term annoying habits," Anastasia frowned. "I prefer to call them… quirks."

He was very close to losing his cool. "I don't give a damn, just mind your own business."

"Honey, while I'm fixing your beyblade, you _are_ my business," she rolled her eyes, but held up her phone screen for him to see. There was a picture of him in the corner with a jumble of technicalities under it. "See, there's your profile. Now," she touched a perfectly manicured finger to the screen and it went blank. "Its gone. Happy?"

"How did you -"

"Well, I didn't delete it from _their_ database. Just my own," she shrugged. "Don't get too worked up. I'm just doing my job, alright? Not exactly happy to be stuck in a foreign country with no friends and a language barrier."

Kai shrugged, not the least bit sorry for her, but appeased that she seemed willing to follow his rules. Anastasia rolled her eyes. Before she could say anything, he spoke, reluctantly. "Listen, I have to go with my friend but since Dickenson wants us to stick together you can come too."

Anastasia grinned and returned to typing on her phone. "Sure. Where are we going?"

"Lunch."

"Cool. Lead the way, superstar."

"Don't call me that."

"Okay, hotshot."

Kai resisted the urge to groan and led her down the corridor. "I can't believe Dickenson hired you."

Anastasia snorted. "He did it because I'm the best. The old man has a soft spot for you or else he'd never give me your beyblade. I don't work cheap. Oh look," her tone changed to one of curiosity. "You're Russian too!"

Kai groaned. "You said you'd stop looking."

"I stopped hacking," she corrected him absently. "This is Wikipedia."

Kai ran a hand through his hair wearily. "Half," he said reluctantly. If she wanted to know stupid things, she may as well get them right. Anastasia looked at him curiously. "I'm only half Russian. My mother was Japanese."

She nodded thoughtfully. "My father was Russian."

Kai inclined his head in acknowledgement. "Your name told me that."

She smiled a little and lowered her gaze. "I guess so."

Kai looked at her. She didn't look up from her phone. He shrugged and pushed open the double doors that led to the parking lot. Quickly spotting Tala's car, he made his way towards it, Anastasia trailing behind. Tala got out of the car when they approached and immediately raised his eyebrows when he saw Kai's companion.

"Hey," Kai snorted at Tala's attempt to keep his voice smooth. Anastasia didn't look up from her phone. Tala wasn't daunted. He held out his hand. "I'm Tala, Kai's best friend."

She still didn't look up. "I know who you are. I'm Anna. Nice to meet you," absently, she waved a hand in his general direction. Tala's eyebrows shot up and he exchanged a look with Kai, whose lips twitched. Shrugging to his friend, he held open Anastasia's door for her and clapped Tala on the back before making his way to the passenger side.

"You know, my sister warned me about getting into sports cars with random teenage boys," Anastasia's voice was casual as Tala started the car. Kai glanced at her in the rear-view mirror. She had put her phone away and was gazing directly at him through the mirror. "I really should start taking what she says more seriously."

Tala laughed and quickly engaged her in conversation. Anastasia replied willingly enough and was even friendly, but Kia knew she was watching him through the mirror while speaking. It didn't unnerve him; every time he glanced up, the twinkle in her eye made him feel like they were sharing a private joke _. I know your friend is hitting on me_ , her eyes seemed to laugh _. Too bad he's not as cute as you._ He really needed to clarify that he was not gay.

A few minutes later they pulled up in front of the deli that Tala had taken to dragging Kai with him because the cashier was pretty. That day, however, Tala showered Anastasia with attention, and Kai could see the girl behind the counter was utterly confused. Shaking his head at his friend's ways, he paid for the food since Tala was too busy chatting and steered the other two towards a table near the door in case he needed to make a run for it.

"So," Anastasia picked up a fork and speared an olive with it, popping it into her mouth thoughtfully. Quickly swallowing, she used her utensil to point at Kai. "Tala's basically narrated his journal to me and you feature in about fifty percent of it. What about the other fifty, superstar? What's your story?"

Kai rolled his eyes. "What does that matter?"

Anastasia shrugged. "It doesn't, but I bet it would be more interesting than me telling you a story of how I learned to hotwire a car."

Tala raised an eyebrow. "Actually, I think that would be quite interesting."

Anastasia's eyes twinkled. "My ex-boyfriend's dad owned a garage. So when he cheated on me I stole his car. And maybe a few more."

Kai blinked. Tala burst into laughter and said something that made Anastasia wink, but Kai frowned. He looked at her carefully. Her skin was flawless, erasing any forms of awkward puberty. Her tan was perfect, she was slim and even though she wasn't muscular she was obviously fit. Her hair was long and dark at the roots but got lighter as it went down her back, possibly from the sun. Her eyes were blue, frank and open; she didn't have a confidence problem. Who in their right mind would cheat on her?

"Hey," she snapped her fingers in front of his eyes. Kai blinked. "Your excuse of being gay isn't going to work forever if you keep staring."

Tala snorted into his drink. "Kai's gay?"

Anastasia nodded solemnly. "Apparently."

"He definitely wasn't gay two days ago," Tala wiggled his eyes suggestively. Kai didn't even look at him. Anastasia smirked and excused herself to go to the ladies' room a few minutes later. As soon as she was out of earshot, Tala turned to face Kai. His expression was sour. "What did you do?"

"What?"

"She likes you and you're not even being nice to her," Tala crossed his arms over his chest in annoyance. "All you do is stare at her with that stupid intense look and I can see her melt."

Kai frowned. "What intense look?"

"The one you gave her just now," Tala rolled his eyes. "You don't look at girls like that. You like her?"

Kai shrugged. "She's not bad looking."

"She's gorgeous," Tala sighed. "But she's obviously not interested."

Kai tried not to laugh. "Since when has that ever stopped you?"

"It stops me when she ignores me for the dummy sitting next to me," Tala rolled his eyes and clapped Kai on the shoulder. "You work on her. I'm going back to Janet."

"Jane."

Tala waved a hand dismissively and made his way to the counter. At that moment, Anastasia slipped back into the seat opposite Kai. She raised her eyebrows. "Scared away your friend?"

Kai snorted. "He went to get the cashier's number."

"Well, at least he got the hint," she shrugged.

"What hint?"

Anastasia raised her eyebrows. "Do you think pretending to be oblivious is cute?"

Kai made a non-committal sound.

"You're lucky. It _is_ kind of cute," she winked, and he grimaced. Undaunted, she continued to eat her salad, her eyes once more glued to her phone. They lapsed into silence until Tala returned, brandishing a napkin with something scrawled on it in blue ink.

"Mission accomplished," he grinned. "Where to now?"

"You tell me, I've never been here before," Anastasia shrugged.

Tala's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"I'm an L.A. girl. We don't go on vacations to random countries of the world unless they're paid for."

"That's not a very flattering picture," frowned Tala.

Anastasia rolled her eyes. "I didn't mean that."

"What's 'that'?" asked Tala teasingly.

Kai blocked out the conversation and led them to the car, this time getting into the driver's seat himself. To his surprise, Anastasia slid into the passenger side. "Shotgun," she announced as he started the car. Tala got into the backseat sourly.

"You can't call shotgun once you've already sat down," pointed out Kai.

"Lighten up, superstar. Who's going to stop me?"

Tala laughed as Kai rolled his eyes.

* * *

 **I do love my other Beyblade story, but this one has been in my head for ages and I had to put it down! Let me know what you guys think x**


	2. Chapter 2

"So you think she's pretty," said Tala conversationally.

Kai rolled his eyes and dumped his dishes in the sink, grabbing the mug of coffee Tala had made for himself and glaring at his friend when he merely raised his eyebrows. "What's your point?"

"Well, don't get me wrong, she's gorgeous, but you date girls who are _much_ better looking. And with lower IQs."

"I don't date."

"Fine, you sleep with girls that are much better looking. I was trying to be polite," Tala rolled his eyes. "So?"

"So?"

"So, do you like her?"

Kai frowned. "How should I know that after barely a month?"

Tala chuckled. "You stare at her."

"I don't," he said coldly.

Tala snorted. "Fine, you _look_ at her way more than is healthy."

Kai smirked. "What do you know?"

Tala wasn't daunted. "I know you. And I know she's your type. Tall, leggy, brunette, sharp as a razor. Did I get everything?"

Kai leaned back in his chair. "I thought you said lower IQs were my type?"

"Only you would have a type for sleeping around," Tala shrugged. "Anna is way more. She's half Russian too, isn't she?"

"That has nothing to do with it."

"No, but it helps," Tala grinned. "She reminds you of home."

Kai stood up from the table. Heart to hearts with Tala at nine in the morning when he was supposed to meet Anastasia for her first day of fixing his most prized possession wasn't something he wanted to do. "That place isn't home."

"Yes it is, Kai. Don't deny it. Before the Abbey, it _was_ home."

"We can't go back."

"Maybe not yet. But don't try to say that hearing her speak didn't remind you even a little bit of the good old days before your psychotic grandpa ruined our lives."

Kai groaned. "Get the hell out, Tala."

Tala grinned and got up from his perch on the counter. "I'm going. You late for your date?"

Kai knew he shouldn't reply, but he did anyway. It was hard to ignore someone as persistent as Tala. "Its hardly a date. I'm supposed to meet her every day."

"I've got a bet with Ray that you ask her out by next Saturday."

"Weren't you just leaving?"

 **!**

"So," Anastasia sat down in her usual spot on the floor, her lips twitching when she saw Kai's mouth curl slightly in distaste as he sat on the sofa in the corner. She knew her incessant talking bothered him, but for some reason she couldn't help herself. If she didn't talk, she knew she'd just stare at him like an idiot. Clearly, she had not done him justice when she had seen him last. He was delicious. "I have most of your stats and your beyblade. You can have it back, by the way," she suddenly remembered and removed the the beyblade from her pocket, tossing it to him. He caught it without blinking, his expression utterly bored. Anastasia couldn't decide whether to laugh or make a face. "Is there anything else you want to tell me, Kai?"

"No," his answer was curt. He was taking his no-talking rule very seriously.

Undaunted, Anastasia merely shrugged. "Cool. Well, I actually need supplies before I can start making a beyblade. I was hoping that you'd be willing to do a demonstration for me, though."

"Demonstration?" his voice sounded grudgingly curious.

"Yeah, I figured it would be a good idea for me to see you battle so I know how well your current beyblade is working."

"You have the stats and the videos."

"Yeah, but your last battle is from about six months ago, and I understand that you've been practicing mostly solo since then," he didn't respond, clearly not willing to listen to sense, so Anastasia tried another approach. "You could battle me, if you don't want your team-mates involved? I'm no world champ, but I'll know what to look for so we can be done quicker."

As she suspected, Kai wasn't a talker, but she knew he harboured a healthy level of curiosity about her. His eyes lit up slightly as she spoke, whether it was with the expectation of beating someone easily or with the idea of getting to know more about her, she couldn't tell. Still, she took his sudden movement from the sofa towards the door to mean that he was agreeing with her. Grabbing her bag off the floor next to her, Anastasia hurried after him.

He led her down two flights of stairs, ignoring the elevator and causing her to huff slightly in annoyance. The basement of the BBA building had a large gym and several different training rooms, for single as well as multiple players. Kai led her towards one of the doors at the far end of the corridor. Anastasia walked inside after him and noted that it was one of the simpler rooms, with a beydish in the centre that was larger than the one she was used to, plus a variety of computers and scanners in the corner that a technician would no doubt use while the team battled. Since there were only two of them, Anastasia dumped her things onto the empty desk and fired up the computer quickly. She fed it a few, basic commands, not interested in getting a play-by-play of the match but rather only wanting a recording and some statistical monitoring. Once she was satisfied with the system, she grabbed her beybalde and launcher and approached the dish, where Kai was already standing, his posture bored.

"Don't go easy on me," joked Anastasia, attempting to lighten the mood. She was surprised to see Kai smirk as he fitted his beyblade into the launcher. She mimicked him, merely cocking her head to one side and smiling easily when he glanced curiously at her white beyblade.

"I won't," was all he said. The machine behind them beeped out the countdown and they both released their beyblades at the same time. Anastasia's landed at the edge of the dish, swooshing down to the centre and meeting Kai's Dranzer head on in a display of power she was sure he hadn't been expecting from her. She tried to resist the urge to smile as she silently willed her bitbeast to go harder and faster, noting with no surprise that, while Kai was obviously the better beyblader, his control over his beyblade seemed to be lacking.

Filing that information away for future reference, Anastasia instructed her beyblade to pull back, waiting for Kai to attack, as she knew he was dying to do. He didn't disappoint, and within seconds he was pushing her beyblade back towards the edge of the dish. That should have been in the end of it, since Anastasia was sure she knew what the problem was, but she realized that she was enjoying herself. Being a technician, she didn't often battle other people simply for the sake of it. Despite the fact that this was purely an information-gathering exercise, she realized she wanted to draw it out for a little longer. Internally shrugging, she made her beyblade fly up, causing Dranzer to lose her balance slightly, but nevertheless keep spinning and move back to the centre of the dish. Anastasia's beyblade landed opposite her, flipped up again and landed on the other side. She knew she was showing off a little, and judging by Kai's raised eyebrows he thought so too.

She threw him an innocent smile. "Did you think I was all bark and no bite?"

His lips twitched. "Aren't you?"

Anastasia pretended to be surprised. "Is the superstar _really_ going to challenge a lowly technician like me?"

He was definitely smirking now. "Let's see what you've got. Dranzer, flame thrower!"

"Vera, defence!"

Anastasia could have squealed with happiness when she saw Kai's eyebrows shoot up again as his attack turned from fire to smoke as Vera made a figure eight in front of Dranzer, causing a gust of wind to repel the flames.

"The only way to overcome your attack is to throw water on it or to just blow out the flames," said Anastasia, keeping her eyes fixed on Dranzer, who had begun to circle Vera now. "My bitbeast isn't a water or air type, but my beyblade _is_ strong enough to cause a wind that can make sure you don't knock me out of the dish, as long as you don't call out your bitbeast."

"How did you know I wasn't going to call out my bitbeast?" Anastasia jumped in surprise when he spoke, tearing her eyes away from their circling beyblades and catching his gaze. He didn't look impressed, but the slight surprise in his tone was probably the closest thing to admiration she was ever going to get from him.

"Oh," Anastasia blinked and went back to watching the beyblades. "Because I saw your face when I said don't go easy on me. You didn't think I'd last this long. In fact, I bet you're still waiting for me to just stop spinning," she threw him a quick grin. "You don't think I'm enough competition for you to call out Dranzer."

She saw something flash in his eyes, and then his smirk widened until it looked like he was actually smiling at her. Anastasia blinked, completely taken aback. The next thing she knew, her beyblade whizzed past her, landing with a soft _thunk_ on the carpeted floor behind her. He had knocked her out of the dish as soon as she had caught his eye.

Anastasia rolled her eyes good-naturedly and stepped away from the dish, going to pick up her beyblade, but Kai was already there. He was looking at the bitchip with mild curiosity.

"Which type?" he asked as she held out her hand.

"No elements," she shrugged as he dropped it into the palm of her hand. "Vera is a fox, and she's very fast."

"But you don't blade."

"I do, sometimes," Anastasia pocketed her beyblade and walked past him, towards the computers. As she began to save the data and burn a disc for her future use, Kai leaned against the desk and she saw from his body language that he was interested in hearing more, so she complied. "I'm just a sneaky attacker, honestly. I've never beybladed professionally."

"Where did you get your bitbeast from?" Kai surprised her by picking up her bag and swinging it over his shoulder as they exited the room. Anastasia blinked in confusion, but jogged to keep up with him, her mind in a turmoil. He was being nice to her now?

"Oh, it just sort of… happened," she said lamely. Kai raised an eyebrow. She blushed. "I'm not technically an orphan, but I lived alone for a long time, as a kid, in boarding school. It was an all-girls thing and we all really got into beyblading, and one of the girls had a bitbeast but she was never allowed to actually battle with it. We were like, thirteen or fourteen," she glanced up at him from beneath her lashes to see if he was still listening. The small crease between his eyebrows told her he was. "We were playing one night, and I kept losing. Eventually that girl brought out her bitbeast, and the next thing I know her beyblade is lying trashed in a corner and mine is doing figure eights in the beydish. I didn't really understand what Vera was until I met Judy, your friend Max's mom," at that, Kai turned to look at her, his curiosity fully piqued now. Anastasia tugged on a lock of her hair. "Yeah, Emily was the girl that I battled against. When she joined the All-Starz she introduced me to Judy. I hadn't really battled much, but I was really good with beyblades, fixing them and stuff, so she gave me a part-time job and eventually she kept me on as their technician. I was really good though, for my age, and since I wasn't into battling as much as everyone else, I had a lot of time to learn. I signed up with the BBA and I do favours for Mr. Dickinson from time to time. And that's how I heard about you."

Kai grunted in acknowledgement of her story, but didn't comment. Anastasia was grateful for his silence, and she scurried into the small office that housed her few belongings, quickly settling back onto the floor and opening her laptop to view the footage from the battle. Kai sat down next to her, to her surprise, and his posture told her he was watching the video as well. Since he didn't speak, Anastasia decided to ignore him and opened another window alongside the media player, quickly beginning to type out her notes.

She worked in blissful silence for at least two hours, re-watching the video until she was sure she knew every screech and move by heart. Once she was sure she had all the notes she needed, she sent the file for printing to the printer in the lobby and closed her laptop, signalling to her companion that she was done for the night.

Anastasia packed up her things quickly, feeling a stab of pity when she saw Kai rub the back of his neck wearily as he led her towards the elevator instead of the stairs. She tried to tug her bag out of his hands, but his grip was firm and he ignored her feeble movement. Deciding to let him have his strange form of chivalry, they rode the elevator in silence, and Anastasia bounded over to the printer as soon as the door opened. Her file was waiting for her in a neat stack.

"You're going to need to visit the beyblading store tomorrow," Kai's voice sounded in her ear suddenly, causing her to jump and turn around to face him quickly. He was much closer than she anticipated, and she had a full view of his strong, chiselled features, deep, mahogany eyes and lips that were too close to her own for comfort. Resisting the urge to blush like a preteen, she inwardly sighed in relief when Kai took a step back, obviously understanding the meaning of personal space.

It took her a few seconds to remember what he had been saying. "Oh, yeah, I should do that," she avoided his gaze and stuffed her papers into her bag. "Mr. Dickinson told me I could hire a car and-"

"Hire a car?" Kai sounded surprised. "For what?"

"Oh, I'm going to need to visit stores a lot because I like to tear apart prototypes as fast as I can."

Kai blinked at her offhand tone. "Tear apart…?"

"Yeah," Anastasia smiled slightly at his confused expression, her normal confidence returning once they began to talk about something she was familiar with. "Mr. Dickinson hired me because I'm good, after all. I don't build a beyblade in one go. I've done all my theory work," she gestured to the papers she had just put into her bag. "Now I need to start building prototypes. I play around with different stuff, like attack rings and defence rings, and then I try and incorporate everything into one beyblade. It sounds like it takes long, but it doesn't," she added reassuringly. "I kill prototypes really quickly."

"Okay," Kai didn't sound convinced. "But you don't need a car, Anna," her heart skipped a beat at the name. "I'm going to drive you."

"You're what?" Anastasia was completely taken aback. "Kai, you really don't have to do that, I-"

"It wasn't a question," a lazy smirk crept onto his face as he gestured for her to follow him to the parking lot. "Maybe this way I can teach you to beyblade too."

Anastasia huffed, forgetting her momentary confusion. "I know how to beyblade!"

"Not well," Kai shrugged and opened the passenger side door of his car for her, his movements so absent that Anastasia was sure it was something he had done unconsciously. He leaned against the door when she remained standing. "You have a lot of potential," he offered, his tone slightly grudging. "You're sneaky, and people will underestimate you. You don't have to hide behind your computers and your prototypes."

Anastasia shook her head. "I'm not hiding."

"You just don't want to share her," his tone was surprisingly gentle. Anastasia bit her lip, her eyes flickering down to her sneakers. It didn't surprise her that he had figured out the real reason she was so reluctant to beyblade, even though it was something she had never voiced in her entire life. "It's okay," his tone was still kind, but not smothering. She could appreciate that. "Anyway, it's getting late, I need to get you home."

The change of subject was a peace-offering, and Anastasia accepted it gladly. She slid into the car, shut the door behind her, and arranged her bag in her feet as Kai got into the car beside her and started the engine. Anastasia whistled at the sound. "I love your car."

He smirked again. "I'll let you drive it if you let me help you kill a prototype."

Anastasia's eyes widened. "Can I hold you to that?" the excitement in her voice caused Kai to almost laugh. She smacked his shoulder, ignoring his look of surprise when she touched him. " _Please_?"

Just because she was bearable today, didn't mean he would give in to her demands. Even if her eyes widening like that caused his mouth to go dry. "Shouldn't I be testing all prototypes anyway?"

"You should, but how would you know what to look for?" she spoke like it was obvious.

Kai narrowed his eyes at her. "I'm not an idiot."

"Nobody touches my prototypes," said Anastasia, waggling a finger at him threateningly. Then, her gaze flickered to his dashboard. "Though I would totally make an exception for this car."

Kai chucked at her enthusiasm, discreetly pressing a button on the steering wheel. The old-fashioned music system made a whirring sound, and he saw Anastasia's eyes widen as it began to fold up into itself, finally rotating back into the alcove of the dashboard. What was now in front was a much newer system, with multiple USB ports, a touch screen, and three CD players. She touched the power button gingerly, jumping slightly when it turned on. Her phone beeped, and Kai rolled his eyes when he realized it had connected to the nearest Bluetooth device automatically. However, Anastasia looked horrified, and the next second he realized why. The car began to play the last song she had listened to, which she had obviously paused halfway and forgotten to turn off.

He laughed as the words to a boy band song came on, and Anastasia picked up her phone and quickly jabbed the screen until the music shut off. Kai was still laughing.

"Its good for working?" she offered weakly. He only laughed harder. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all.


	3. Chapter 3

"You really hate me, do you?" Anastasia's voice was amused as she rummaged around in the shopping bag in her lap. Kai didn't bother to answer and started the car, reversing out of the driveway of the store they had just stopped at.

"Where to next?" he asked. His voice was gruffer than he had expected.

Anastasia stopped moving. "Nowhere. You can drop me off at the BBA."

"Its late."

"I have work to do. I'll get a cab home."

Kai sighed in annoyance. "I don't dislike you enough to let you catch a cab in a city you barely know."

Anastasia's voice was hard when she responded. "You don't need to babysit me if its such a chore to even be in the same room as me for long."

Kai blinked. Two weeks he had been around her, and if there was one thing he had learned, it was that it was almost impossible to rattle Anastasia. She laughed at his one word replies, rolled her eyes when Tala flirted with her, met his every sarcastic remark with one of her own and even smiled at the grim receptionist at the BBA every morning. She was bright, and happy, and stupidly beautiful. And now, she seemed upset.

"I'm not babysitting you. I need to see what you're working on anyway," he tried to make his tone lighter. No use getting on her bad side when she was fixing his beyblade. At least, that's what he would tell himself every time he thought something as ridiculous as _stupidly beautiful_ again. "What is it again?"

"It's a prototype," her voice kept its edge, but she replied willingly. Thankfully, another thing he had learned was that, along with being an organized mess, she forgot things very easily. "I just needed the core and I'll probably build it today. Dranzer's main problem is balance, otherwise she's perfect. So I'm hoping this new core will fix the balance. You'll have to practice with it for a while before we can see if its working, though."

"I can do that," said Kai. They reached the BBA and got out. Anastasia headed straight upstairs to the room she had claimed as her workspace and Kai stayed back to sign her in. After being her designated driver, he knew she never bothered with technicalities.

When he entered her office, she was sitting on the floor with the contents of at least four shopping bags in front of her. Kai rolled his eyes. She never sat on chairs. Her shoes were neatly placed in a corner and her jacket was resting on the sofa. Kai sat down next to it and picked up her cell phone idly. Anastasia didn't even protest. She never did. The only thing personal about her phone was the little icon on the side which apparently scrambled her IP address or something like that, to aid in her favourite hobby – hacking into Kai's personal life. The screen came to life and he raised his eyebrows.

"You have seventy two missed calls," he said. He typed in her password that he had learned from her when she wouldn't stop hacking into his personal accounts – she had known his bank balance three days after meeting him – and swiped the screen, checking the name. "They're from your sister and they're all from today. Seriously, Anna?"

"What?" she looked back distractedly. "Oh, right. Tatiana was calling. I was trying to remember the name of the metal core I wanted so I didn't pick up. How many are there?"

"Seventy-two."

Anastasia snorted. "She's getting lazy. She knows one hundred is our life or death situation code."

Kai rolled his eyes. He didn't care, he told himself. He just didn't want her distracted. And, grudgingly, he admitted that he was curious. He would never say it out loud, but there _was_ something about her that was hopelessly fascinating. She looked like an open book, but she was far from it. He could tell she didn't get along with her sister, but she had never given him a reason why, never even alluded to one. She had merely acted as if that's how all relationships worked. It worked for her, but not for her. quickly making up his mind, he pressed a button on her phone, got up and knelt down next to her, holding the phone to her ear. She was playing with the various parts like a child playing with building blocks; she didn't even notice when the phone started ringing. When her sister's voice came onto the line, she blinked.

"Tatiana? What the-" she gave Kai an incredulous look but he merely raised an eyebrow, daring her to challenge him. She scowled and took the phone from his hand. "Sorry. I was- yes, I know I'm horrible. Yeah, I know… sorry… sorry… I said sorry dammit… okay you have news… you could have hit one hundred, you- OH MY GOD!"

Kai jumped and grabbed her arm, glaring at her when her eyes widened and she covered her mouth. She waved away his concern before he had even realized it was showing on his face and merely nodded vigorously, not realizing her sister couldn't see her.

"Women," muttered Kai, going back to take a seat on the sofa. Anastasia continued talking for a while, mostly murmuring quietly. When she finally hung up the phone, she sighed and tossed it back onto the sofa before returning to her perch on the floor. Kai waited for her to speak. She didn't. He huffed in annoyance. "What happened?"

"Hmm?" she looked back, the same distracted expression on her face. It amazed him how quickly things slipped her mind.

"Your sister," she was never content with a few words. She raised an eyebrow. Kai almost growled out his question. "What did she say?"

"Oh, that," Anastasia shrugged. "She's getting married."

"Uh," Kai was caught off guard. He ran a hand through his hair. "Congratulations."

She snorted and returned to her work. "Thanks. Though the point of marrying the guy you've been living with for three years baffles me, but she's happy so it's cool. The wedding's in March," she hesitated for a split second. "So I have six months to convince her to break it off."

That wasn't what she had been about to say. Since when did she hesitate anyway? That was odd. Kai blinked. "What?"

"Nothing," her hands began working faster. "Okay, no talking. Time me."

"Time you?"

"I always time myself. Just do it."

Kai rubbed his eyes tiredly and began fiddling with his own phone. He set the timer and picked up Anastasia's phone idly. She never stopped him from invading her privacy, but he didn't often go through her phone, mostly because there had never been anything personal in it. She had no photos, a handful of text messages that were all from unsaved numbers and all seemed to be left unanswered and unread, and only about ten contacts. For someone so obsessed with technology, Kai had been surprised by her disregard for her phone. Most days, she would have simply forgotten it if he didn't remind her. Since he was bored, he scrolled through her text messages again and was surprised to find quite a few from Tala. A quick glance revealed that they were purely friendly, other than the occasional wink emoticon that made him frown. He pushed the thought from his mind and went into her contacts. She had them organized by favourites; his name was right on top. It made sense, since they spoke on the phone about twenty times in one day.

"Okay, I'm done. Time?" her voice interrupted his snooping, and he put her phone aside before checking the timer lying next to him.

"Fifteen minutes, thirty seconds."

She sighed. "Dang it, I'm getting slow. Okay, come on down here, superstar. Let's see what you think."

Kai rolled his eyes. "You could sit at the table like a normal human being, Anna."

"But this is Japan!" she looked back at him in shock. "Don't you guys always sit on the floor? I thought I'd finally be at home here!"

Kai sighed and sat down next to her. He would never confess that he couldn't help but do what she said every time she asked for something, but he did admit that she amused him immensely. Now, she handed him a beyblade, a dark blue coloured basic model with a stainless steel core that glinted as he held it up to examine it in the light.

"You can't tell me anything I haven't already thought of before," said Anastasia, her tone going from playful to business-like in a second. "I understand that its more light-weight than what you're used to ever since you started using the V-Force models, but the dynamics are pretty much the same. You'll have to practice, as with any prototype, but this should give us a pretty good idea of what you need. I'm not changing the core," she added when she saw him run his thumb over the edge that jutted out considerably. "I know you probably don't approve but it'll be a good fit when you get used to it."

Kai sighed. "I needed a new blade, Anna, not an amped one."

"Amped or not, you needed a new blade and you're getting the best I can do," Anastasia shrugged. "It's not that hard, Kai. The core is just something you're not used to."

"You're going to make me get used to a new core?"

"I'm not making you do anything. You want your old blade? Fine. I can put together one like that in seventy five seconds, but in seventy five days you'll have trashed it. This one, with this core, when used properly, will last way longer."

"What kind of training am I supposed to do?"

"What do you usually do?" Kai listed his average day, and Anastasia frowned. "That's all solo work. You can do that too, I guess, but I was hoping for something else," she tugged on a lock of her hair absently. "Why don't you battle Tala?"

"Tala?" Kai gave her a look. "Why?"

"I'm not as good as you," she shrugged. "I'd say battle Tyson, but I don't think your competitive streak would do well against him. You need someone you can mess up in front of a bit, but also someone with enough edge to make you want to win. So, is Tala okay?"

She had described in two sentences his entire relationship with both Tyson and Tala, and that unnerved him more than he would ever admit. Even his own friends had always taken his constant side-changing as a sign of weak loyalty, instead of a representation of his desire to find a worthy opponent. Anastasia understood that. Hell, she acted as if his thought process was the most natural thing in the world. It was weird. She was weird. And perceptive. But she didn't need to know that, so Kai merely shrugged and pocketed the beyblade. Anastasia rolled her eyes and got off the floor. She picked up the shopping bags and began crushing them, dumping them into the trash bin next to the desk that she never used but always managed to keep messy. She picked up her bag in one hand and a folder in the other. Kai took that as a hint that she was ready to go and followed her out the door, switching off the lights on their way out. She never remembered to do that either.

The ride in the elevator was quiet. Anastasia kept rummaging through her bag, frowning, checking her pockets and going through her bag again. When they were halfway out the door of the main building, she stopped.

"I can't find my phone," she declared, crossing her arms over her chest.

Kai wanted to laugh. She looked like an overgrown three year old as she set her mouth in a line and refused to move from her position in the middle of the revolving door. He rolled his eyes, lips twitching, and grabbed her arm, tugging her outside. She hadn't been expecting him to pull her, and lost her balance, practically stumbling into his arms. It was a very cliché moment. Normally, Kai didn't appreciate such moments, but the second he grabbed her waist to steady her, she turned red, something she had successfully avoided doing in front of him despite Tala's best efforts to embarrass her when she had admitted she was an easy blusher.

"Umm," her voice was quiet, but confused. Her grip on his forearms didn't slacken. "Sorry?"

Kai chuckled. Her eyes widened. Oh, right. He didn't laugh in front of her. She often accused him of having no sense of humour. He took advantage of her confused state to take out her phone from his own pocket and hold it in front of her face, which was dangerously close to his own. Immediately, her eyes narrowed.

"You're too careless," he told her by way of an explanation. "Someone had to teach you a lesson."

"You mean _you_ wanted to teach me a lesson."

"It almost worked."

"Almost."

Kai hummed in response. She still hadn't moved away, even though his grip wasn't tight at all. Her eyes were lighter than he had thought; he hadn't really seen them up close. She had freckles, probably from the sun. Also, her waist was tiny. He could hold it in both of his hands with ease.

"You're staring at me," her voice interrupted him. He blinked. She teased him about staring all the time, but it felt different this time. She wasn't mocking him. It was just a fact. He was spending too much time looking at her.

"You're blushing," he responded without thinking. She turned even redder. He felt his smile become slightly wider.

Her eyes widened. "You're smiling," she sounded awed.

He rolled his eyes. "You're not letting me go."

Immediately, she dropped her hands from his arms and took a step back. She held the folder up, hugging it against her chest and gazed at him hesitantly from beneath her eyelashes. Kai tried to ignore the tingling in his hands where they had touched her and opened the passenger door for her. His car was always parked near the door. She got in wordlessly.

They reached her building fairly quickly. He had driven fast deliberately, to spare her the awkwardness which had almost stifled him in the car. He shut off the engine and made to get out, but Anastasia stopped him.

"Its fine," her voice was quiet. "I can make it back on my own. It's not even that late."

"You're sure?" asked Kai.

"Yeah," she gave him a small, quick smile. "Thanks anyway."

He nodded in response and she got out of the car, ascending the few steps. He watched her go inside and waited until the door closed. When he was sure she was gone, he started the car again, but didn't move. He had a bad feeling he had just fallen for his technician.


	4. Chapter 4

"Be nice to her."

"I _am_ nice to her."

"You're an ass, and when you're not an ass, you're mean," Hilary rolled her eyes as she munched on an apple. "Just _don't_ be yourself, and we'll have a perfectly nice day."

Kai didn't bother to answer and focused on his beyblade, clearly giving Hilary the hint that he was no longer interested in their conversation. However, she ignored it and continued watching Kai critically as he practiced with the prototype Anastasia had made for him last week. So far, he had adjusted to it quite well, but Anastasia had told him that until it fell apart, he had to keep using it. She was coming over to the dojo in a few hours to check out his progress and watch his match with Tala, and Hilary had opted to stay behind with Kai and Tala to meet her while the rest of the team had gone to the BBA to take advantage of the slow traffic in the practice rooms and have a full day of training.

"Thanks for that, Hilary," said Kai sarcastically.

"Anytime," the brunette shrugged and hopped off her perch on the railing, heading inside to throw away her apple core. Kai had never been fond of Hilary, but the past year he had grown to grudgingly like her, probably because she spent a ridiculous amount of time with Tala and his gruffness merely made her roll her eyes. He was interested to see how she would react to Anastasia, though. In many ways, they were both alike, but they were polar opposites as well.

He hadn't seen her since the day he'd dropped her off at her building and realized that he may have a tiny crush on her. Even now, the thought made him wince. _He_ had a crush on _Anastasia?_ The girl was a walking, talking definition of everything Kai avoided in girls, the primary quality being that she was too smart for him to play with. And a serious relationship was something he had never been interested in, and probably never would be. So why was he daydreaming about her instead of focusing on his beyblade?

"Look who stopped by!" it was Tala. He strode into the garden casually, his arm slung around Anastasia's shoulders, who was looking around the dojo curiously. She saw Kai and gave him a large grin, bigger than the ones she gave Tala if he ever stopped by the BBA office to annoy them. The thought made Kai oddly smug, so he smirked and, for good measure, threw a wink her way. He wasn't a flirt, but he had discovered that he seemed to have an effect on her. Sure enough, her cheeks turned the lightest shade of pink he had ever seen a girl blush. His smirk widened. She was dressed in a pair of skinny jeans that made her legs look like they went on forever, a baggy shirt that slipped off one shoulder messily, and scuffed sneakers. She had ditched her bag full of tinkling metal objects for a casual satchel, and it dangled from her covered shoulder, fortunately making no noise. Her hair was loose and fell into her eyes slightly. She pushed it away as she neared him.

"Hey," he said casually as she came to stand by him, ducking out from under Tala's arm to do so. He saw the redhead roll his eyes, but smile anyway as he went inside, probably to find Hilary.

"Hi," Anastasia smiled and poked his arm with her index finger lightly. "Missed me?"

"So much," deadpanned Kai. Her teasing had stopped annoying him, but he never retaliated.

Anastasia laughed freely, sensing his sarcasm and not seeming offended in the slightest. "You know you did," she teased. "And nice work," she gestured to the beyblade, and Kai silently summoned Dranzer back, catching it in his right hand as it swerved up. "I had a feeling it wouldn't take you long to get the hang of it."

"It's been a week," muttered Kai. It had annoyed him how much he had struggled with it initially, though of course she would never know that.

"I expected two weeks, but then again I've been told never to underestimate a Bladebreaker," Anastasia rolled her eyes and pulled her hair into a ponytail on top of her head. She was still speaking, but Kai wasn't listening. She had never tied her hair in front of him, and suddenly he was struck by how breath-taking she looked. Her eyes were wider, her lips looked fuller, and her jaw was sharp and defined, all things he was sure he was only noticing now because the words _stupidly beautiful_ kept springing to mind every time he so much as glanced at her.

"Kai?" she snapped her fingers in front of his face, showing off her perfect teeth in a grin when he finally came out of his reverie. "I knew you weren't gay."

"What?"

"You were staring at me. Again."

Kai snorted, the haze of admiration quickly fading. "You need –"

"Hi!" Hilary's bubbly voice interrupted him, and Anastasia threw him one last, amused look before peering around his frame to see the brunette jogging towards them. She smiled, but it was clearly fake.

"Hello," she said politely. Kai was surprised to see that she glanced between him and Hilary, almost deliberately, her eyes lingering as they met his, as if asking him something. Before he could negate the idea he was sure she was getting, Hilary had started speaking.

"You must be Anastasia, Kai hasn't shut up about you for weeks," she chattered, coming to stand next to them and ignoring the two boys completely. She stopped a few feet away and looked at Anastasia up and down, smirking slightly. " _And_ he called you pretty. I didn't think he even knew what that word meant."

The obvious lack of physical familiarity between the two seemed to ease Anastasia a bit, but the more Hilary spoke the more real her smile became. When the brunette was done, she gave Kai a sly look. "Pretty, eh?"

"She's exaggerating," said Kai, as if it were obvious. And it was. The only reason Hilary knew as much as she did was because she and Tala gossiped like a pair of old women. Specially about his love life.

"Judging by the way you've been staring at me today, I don't think she is," Anastasia winked. If he blushed, Kai was sure he would be red by now. Fortunately, Tala and Hilary hadn't heard her. They had wandered over to the beydish and were standing there expectantly, waiting for the other two to approach so they could begin the match. Anastasia threw him one last, amused look before joining them.

They practiced for hours. Anastasia wasn't a beyblader herself, but she was ruthless when it came to training and her prototypes. Twice she had battled Tala herself using Kai's beyblade, with her own Bitbeast, and both times she had come closer to winning than Kai had, though all the matches had ended in a draw. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with his technique, or his attacks, but whatever he did was clearly not good enough. Finally, just as it was getting dark, she agreed to let them stop.

"That was a bust," groaned Tala, stretching out on the grass.

"Nope," said Anastasia, leaning against Kai's bent leg casually. His back was stretched on the ground, which meant she didn't see his eyes widen slightly at her gesture. Hilary did, though, but she only smirked. "I didn't expect you to beat him anyway."

Tala paused. "Should I be offended at that?"

Anastasia shrugged. "You shouldn't be. Even you know he's better."

Tala rolled his eyes and muttered something Kai couldn't hear, but it made Anastasia giggle. Hilary snorted. "Way to be a sore loser, Tala."

"What did he say?" asked Kai curiously, the same time as Tala spat out "I _didn't_ lose!". The two girls ignored them both.

"If Kai had been battling with a beyblade that worked exactly how he wanted it to, the match would have ended ages ago," Anastasia rolled her eyes.

"You're saying that because you're being paid to fix his beyblade," grumbled Tala.

Anastasia laughed. "Hey, I worked _months_ to be able to get this job, I earned whatever money the BBA pays me."

Tala grumbled again, but Hilary smacked his arm and ordered him to go inside and change so they could go meet the rest of the team for dinner. Anastasia watched in amusement as the normally arrogant redhead stood up and obediently followed the tiny brunette into the dojo.

However, Kai hadn't left. Her statement had piqued his curiosity again. "What did you mean?" he asked. He was sitting up now, his arm draped lazily over his bent leg so his fingers brushed against her bare shoulder. They were sitting very close, but most of her weight was on his leg so he was trapped, and she clearly didn't feel uncomfortable with their closeness.

Anastasia leaned her head back against his knee and looked up at him, his face upside down, and grinned. "What do I mean by what?"

Kai didn't bother to move his face. If she was trying to make him uncomfortable, he wouldn't let her win, and anyway, it was nice to be able to be this close to her without her blushing and stammering like last time. Their noses were barely inches apart; he could smell her strawberry scented lipstick. "You said you worked months for this job."

"Oh, yeah," she blinked, and her eyelashes almost brushed against his cheek. He resisted the urge to lean closer. She didn't seem bothered at all. "Dickinson had four technicians in mind to fix your 'blade. He picked me because I amped up my workload as soon as I found out I was being considered so I had the better qualifications by the time he had to make a decision."

Kai raised his eyebrows. "And you did that because…?"

"Because I think you're a really good beyblader," said Anastasia simply. Kai stared at her. Heknew he was good, but it was another thing for someone he hadn't let in, _at all,_ to say it so casually. She smiled at him, still upside down. It was a slow, kind smile, not the smirks or grins or flirty looks she normally threw his way. She only smiled at him in _this_ way when no one else was watching. "I know that look. You _are_ really good, Kai, and I knew nobody could help you better than I could. So I did what I had to do." No wonder he thought he liked her. She was annoying and loud and happy, yes, but she was also considerate and she seemed to understand him in a few months on a level he was sure his team-mates were only just reaching. It was… nice.

She straightened up then, and her nose brushed against his cheek as she turned around and got to her feet. She offered him a hand, but he automatically didn't take it and stood up himself. She clicked her tongue, but didn't seem too bothered by his dismissal. Instead, she grabbed her bag off the floor and gestured for him to lead the way into the house. "Do I get an invitation to dinner as well?" she asked cheekily.

Kai rolled his eyes, their moment clearly in the past now. "We're having dinner because of you. Hilary's idea."

"So I take it she likes me?"

"She has no friends."

Anastasia laughed. "Is that your way of saying she wants to hang out with me because I'm another girl in this male-dominated sport?"

Kai's lips twitched at the sound of her easy laughter. "Maybe."

"Use more words next time, hotshot. You won't always get lucky with a girl who can read your mind," she poked his arm again as she overtook him and made her way towards the kitchen, where Hilary was yelling at Tala, probably for missing his turn at doing the dishes again. She hopped up onto the counter and threw a wet dish-cloth at Tala's head, causing him to yell and Hilary's rant to turn into laughter. Kai paused in the doorway and looked at the three in slight confusion, but he couldn't help the grin that threatened to take over his face. Their stupid antics had never made him smile before, but between the shouts and giggles, Anastasia caught his eye and threw him a wink, and he knew why it was amusing him now.


	5. Chapter 5

Kai stared at the piece of paper sitting on his dashboard before looking up at the tall apartment building. He was parked in front of it, debating with himself. He had called Anastasia earlier in the day, as usual. She had picked up on the fourth ring, as usual. Except this time, she hadn't been cheery. She had sounded hesitant and uncomfortable and had spoken faster than normal. She hadn't cancelled on him, instead she had said she would be late and he should wait for her at the BBA.

Normally, he'd be glad, but these days he found himself without much to do if she wasn't around. Granted, it was rare that she wasn't texting him ridiculous things – _"These people keep bowing to me and then I bow back but it's a never-ending cycle, what do I do?!"_ – or hovering over his shoulder as he tried to read. The only time she willingly left him alone was when he was training. The first prototype she had made him had broken a week after he had mastered it, and Anastasia hadn't even flinched. She had merely thrown together another one and told him to work on it as well. Fortunately, she hadn't switched the core, instead adding a lighter defence ring which made it much easier to ward off attacks. However, he hadn't lasted long against Max's bitbeast.

He knew he should be enjoying his alone time, but he wasn't. Having a crush was supposed to be fun – at least that's what Tala kept telling him – but it annoyed Kai more than anything else because, suddenly, he constantly found himself wanting to _do_ things for her. She had been cold one day on their drive back into town since they had gone about two hours away to search for a store which sold the exact parts she needed, and he had automatically turned on the heating, disregarding the fact that he would be sweating bullets in a few minutes. He let her put on her annoying pop songs in his car because she pouted if he didn't and that made him… upset. He paid for her food, carried her bags and opened doors for her, because he liked the way she wrinkled her nose and tried to insist she could do it herself

So, now when she was telling him to stay away from her, naturally, Kai was not going to listen. Especially since he had a strange feeling he knew why she was avoiding him.

He picked up the paper and frowned. It was a cutting from a magazine that Hilary had shown him just before he had left Tyson's house to pick up Anastasia. It was a picture of Anastasia coming out of a café across from where she lived, her face partially turned back to speak to someone behind her. She was smiling brightly. The person was him. It had been five days ago. Under the picture was a long article detailing their lives and speculating as to how they knew each other. There was even a poll underneath asking whether or not they were a good-looking couple. Kai had resisted the urge to smirk when he saw that ninety-seven percent of the people had said yes.

He had assumed she hadn't seen it, but he did know her well enough to see that, while she acted like absolutely nothing phased her, and she was willing to tease and flirt with him on her own terms, the article had probably thrown her off balance. And, if by some miracle she _hadn't_ seen it, he intended to show it to her so she wouldn't have to deal with it by herself.

And he wanted to see her reaction to them being called a couple.

He switched off the engine and made his way to the building. He went up to the fifth floor and knocked on the third door right off the lift; Anastasia had vaguely described it to him once. She had about four room-mates, all visiting from different countries by invite of Mr. Dickenson working on different projects for the BBA, so Kai assumed one of them would answer the door. He wasn't wrong. It was a blonde girl with glasses and wide eyes that went even wider when she seemed to recognize him. He cringed when he saw the familiar magazine clutched in her hand. Had everyone seen it, then?

"Is Anna home?" he asked bluntly. He wasn't interested in hearing her speak.

The girl blinked. "Umm, no. She went out for a run, hours ago. I think she's due at the BBA in a while, you should check there." American. Typical. They were probably friends.

"I'm supposed to meet her there," Kai folded his arms across his chest.

The girl's cheeks went pink. So she _had_ recognized him. "Umm, you could try the park across the road. She usually goes there to cool off."

Kai nodded wordlessly in thanks and made his way out again. The park was close enough that he didn't need to take his car, so he walked towards it slowly, trying to understand what he was supposed to say to her. He knew she liked him, that much was obvious. The strange feeling he got every time he was around her made him feel like he liked her too, but he had liked way too many girls and it had never felt like _this_. Getting involved with Anastasia was more complicated than anything he had ever tried before. He didn't date, and he definitely didn't date long distance. She wasn't the type to give up her life, and neither was he. They were a disaster waiting to happen.

But he wished they weren't, he realized reluctantly. He turned a corner and saw her, automatically coming to a halt just to look at her. Fortunately, she couldn't see him yet. She was lying down on one of the benches near the pond, her legs hanging off one side and her head resting on the other. Her hair was naturally curly as it lightly brushed the grass; she had obviously run out while it was still wet from her shower. She was dressed in a pair of worn tennis shoes, a navy blue tank-top and a matching skirt.

She had gone running in a _skirt_?

"You're going to get a cramp if you keep sitting like that," said Kai quietly as he neared her. His eyes raked across her bare legs, but only fleetingly.

Anastasia jumped, almost hitting her head on the metal of the arm rest as she squinted up at him in confusion. Her cell-phone was clutched in her hand, as if she had been reading something off the screen. "Kai?"

He grunted in response. She blinked in surprise as he lifted her legs off the bench with his arm and sat down in the vacant spot, allowing her to drape them across his lap. They were warm from the exposure to the sun. His hand lingered on her knee before he draped one arm across the back of the bench and, almost unconsciously, rested the other hand on her ankle. He knew he was doing it. He doubted he had done anything _unconsciously_ since he was a child, but it was a surprisingly pleasant feeling to find that he could let his guard down in front of her.

For the first time though, she seemed surprised by his attention. Considering how often she made excuses to touch him, it was strange. Kai raised an eyebrow at her expression. "You do it all the time without asking me anyway, Anna, what's the problem now?"

He shouldn't goad her, but he couldn't resist. She scrunched up her nose in that oddly appealing way and went back to playing with her phone, but Kai wasn't in the mood to deal with her silence. He snatched it from her easily, ignoring her annoyed huff and scrolled through the page she had opened. It was the magazine's online website. He pretended to read it.

"I'm not hacking into your personal life, don't worry," she said finally when he didn't comment on what she had been reading. "Alice told me there was an article about me published in the magazine this morning and I wanted to see what it was."

So she _had_ read it. "I know," Kai handed the phone back to her and took the paper out of his pocket. "Hilary showed it to me this morning."

Anastasia immediately lowered her eyes. "Look, Kai, I know you don't like this stuff and I don't blame you, I'm not as famous as you so I don't have to deal with it, but I'm really sorry that article got published. I'm usually very careful about where I go and how I act and that picture does make it look really strange and I just-"

"Huh?" Kai was caught off-guard. She was apologizing? "What are you talking about?"

Anastasia blinked. "You're not mad?"

"Mad?" Kai ran a hand through his hair. "No, not mad."

Anastasia let out a breath. "Thank god. I thought you'd yell at me."

"Why would I yell at you, Anna?" she could be so dense sometimes. He was trying hard to control his temper.

Anastasia sat up, but didn't remove her legs from him lap. "I know you hate publicity," she said, fiddling with the ends of her hair. "I didn't want you to get the wrong idea. I've probably been mentioned in one magazine article in my life and that was probably because I made the beyblades of whatever team they were writing about. I _hate_ attention like that," she wrinkled her nose again. "I thought you did too."

 _Not when it's with you._ Reflexively, he shrugged. This was the perfect time. He could practically hear Dranzer in his head, urging him to confess his feelings for the girl, but he couldn't. A quick glance at her showed that she was chewing her lip, an anxious habit that he knew she only did when she was utterly terrified, though the only time she had done that was when she had thought one of her files on him was corrupted. He could tell her he liked her, and that he had liked the primitive feeling of possession that the article inspired in him, but that would be unfair. She wasn't here forever, and even if she had been, he couldn't promise her forever. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the bench. "They're stupid rumours, and you get used to them eventually. Don't worry about it."

And just like that, they were normal. Anastasia giggled. "They called you the hottest beyblader in Japan."

"And Russia."

"And Russia," conceded Anastasia, lips twitching. "I knew you secretly liked the attention."

"Yeah, I'm a complete attention-whore."

Anastasia snorted a laugh at that. "You're anything _but_ that, Kai Hiwatari," she snatched the paper out of his hands and shifted so her legs were folded across his lap. Kai raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. She tapped the picture with her nail. "I kind of like the picture, though."

"Do you?" Kai asked, reluctantly amused. She looked completely serious.

"Yeah. Maybe I should frame it. Should I add the poll too?" she rolled her eyes and scanned the rest of the article. "God, they make me sound like such a geek."

"You _are_ a geek."

"Can it, Hiwatari. Your math is better than mine, _you_ can be the geek in this fictional relationship."

He almost laughed at that. She was good. "I'm not the one staring."

"You stare at me all the time," she shot back.

"You have no proof."

"I've seen you do it!"

Kai snorted. "Denial."

"Denial of _what?_ " she asked exasperatedly.

"I know I'm good looking, Anna, I don't blame you for looking at me like that."

"Hey!" Anastasia glared. "I am not looking at you like anything!"

"You're smiling at me."

"I always smile at you!"

Kai's lips twitched at her defensive tone. "Are you done hiding out now?"

Anastasia rolled her eyes. "I wasn't hiding. I just wanted to read that article in peace. How did you even find me?"

"Your room-mate told me you might be here."

She grumbled. "Can't trust that girl with anything."

They didn't speak for a while after that. She lay back down on the bench, and when Kai glanced at her from the corner of his eye he saw that she was looking at the sky thoughtfully. The small crease between her eyebrows meant she was thinking about something he didn't want to know. He finally poked her leg, causing her eyes to shoot towards him questioningly. "We should be getting some work done."

"It's a nice day," Anastasia shrugged, but lifted her legs off of him willingly. "You can go if you want. I might just sit here for a bit."

Kai rolled his eyes and tugged her legs back down. "I don't know what to do with myself without you, remember?" he asked sarcastically.

Anastasia grinned. "Oh, honey, I know."


	6. Chapter 6

"You look like you want to hit something," Anastasia nudged Kai's shoulder playfully, only to shirk back when he turned his glare onto her. "Wow, sheesh! Don't kill a girl for trying. What's wrong?"

"I don't enjoy this," said Kai shortly. He leaned back against the wall, returning his gaze to a random corner which was, fortunately, empty. Exhibition matches for the next tournament were in three months, and until then Dickinson had had the bright idea to host _parties_ for all the teams to socialize before they went up against each other. In Kai's opinion, it was stupid, but his entire team enjoyed mingling, so he had been outnumbered and they had gone.

The only benefit was that Anastasia had been invited as well, and when she had sensed his reluctance to go, she had taken pity on his team-mates and asked him to drive her there. They had been spared his bad mood for most of the night, since she had then promptly attached herself to him. Unwilling to introduce her to everyone just yet – Tyson would probably, _very loudly,_ ask if they were dating – he had allowed her to accompany him in his corner, and she had stayed by his side most of the night, only wandering off a few times in the couple of hours they had been there, probably to talk to her room-mates. He could see the blonde girl, Alice, who had opened the door for him the other day, eyeing them curiously.

"You don't enjoy anything, superstar. Lighten up," Anastasia mimicked his pose and leaned back against the wall as well. "Nice suit, by the way."

Kai rolled his eyes. The attire was formal, so of course he had worn a suit. It made him uncomfortable, reminding him of the many times his grandfather had forced him into attending social gatherings to show him off as his heir. He frowned, and pushed that thought away, grunting in response to Anastasia's comment. He wanted to tell her she looked stupidly beautiful again, but he didn't. She wore a pretty, light blue bandage dress with thick straps, white sandals with a slight heel that made her legs look like they went on forever, and sparkly silver earrings. Her makeup was minimal, and her hair was twisted at the nape of her neck into a messy bun, the loose tendrils making his fingers twitch with the strange urge to run his hands through them.

"I know I look stunning, by the way, you don't have to say it," she added jokingly. Her tone was teasing, but there was a faint edge to it. Kai frowned. Anastasia had never used that tone with him before, but he had heard it, often when she was talking to her sister. It was sarcastic and snide, but also guarded, as if she didn't want to reveal how she actually felt. For some reason, that annoyed him. She _always_ told him exactly how she felt all the time, what was the problem now?

"You don't need me to tell you that you look beautiful," he said finally, quietly, almost hoping she wouldn't hear him. But she did.

For a few seconds, she merely looked at him, her face blank, as if trying to judge from his facial expressions how she should respond. Finally, she seemed to see something she understood, because she looked away and returned to gazing at the crowd. "I don't, but you could tell me anyway," she shrugged, angling her body so her arm was pressing against his again. The edge was gone from her voice, but she wasn't smiling yet. "So, do you do this all the time?"

"What?"

"Stand in a corner and stare unblinkingly into another corner."

"Yes."

"Fun," she rolled her eyes. "Play a game with me."

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

" _Kai!_ "

"Fine," he said grudgingly. Damn crush was making it impossible to say no to her. "As long as it's not stupid."

"It won't be," she assured him, her grin back in place. She dug her phone out of the small bag that was dangling from her shoulder and jerked her head towards the people milling about. "Pick someone."

Kai raised an eyebrow, his interest reluctantly piqued.

"You pick someone, I'll do my hacking magic and we'll come up with ways for you to beat them in case you have to face them in a match soon and cross-check it with previous battle stats," she explained quickly. "Is that okay?" she added, looking at him quizzically. "I mean, I could go flirt with the guys and steal their beyblades or something but the BBA might fire me if I get caught."

Kai blinked, not even registering the fact that the very idea of her flirting with other guys made his hands clench into fists. "You want to _work_?"

"Why not? You won't dance with me, I know that without even asking, and beyblading is about the only thing that I can get you to talk about for longer than two minutes," she shrugged. "Are you in or not?"

Kai nodded, still a little surprised. He had expected her to talk his ear off, again, but she seemed to genuinely be making an effort to entertain him. He scanned the crowd, spotting a few faces he recognized: Julia from F-Dynasty was huddled with Matilda from Barthez Battalion, and Ray was talking animatedly to Lee from the White Tigers. He spotted an unfamiliar looking red-haired girl who was scowling at nothing in particular, and nudged Anastasia. "Her."

Anastasia narrowed her eyes at the girl and opened an application on her phone, her nails rhythmically tapping against the screen as she typed furiously. Kai counted to thirty-five in his head, and when he glanced at her screen by the end, it was showing a profile page similar to the one she had opened of him the first time they'd met.

"Her name's Claire, she's seventeen, not exactly a newbie but this is the first time she's joined a team with some backing. She's the newest member of Barthez Battalion, renamed Freedom Battalion this year," Anastasia tucked her hair behind her ear and frowned, angling her phone up so Kai could read the screen better. "Am I reading this right? She doesn't have a bitbeast?"

Kai snorted. "They must really be desperate if they've added her to the team."

"Don't underestimate her," scolded Anastasia. "She could be really good, I've seen amazing beybladers who don't have bitbeasts."

"As amazing as me?" Kai raised an eyebrow, smirking.

"No," Anastasia huffed. "Your ego really does need to be taken down a few notches."

"You've never bladed with a team?" asked Kai, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Why would I do that when I can make more money fixing beyblades for every team registered under the BBA?"

Kai snorted. "Nice, Anna."

"I'm kidding," she assured him. "I've never bladed because I'm not very good. I got into it, got my bitbeast, but I liked fixing them more. I could make myself the most powerful beyblade ever, but that would be a waste because I'm not the most powerful beyblader ever."

"You're good," said Kai. Anastasia opened her mouth to argue, but Kai shook his head. "If you sucked, you know I'd tell you."

"Good point," she wrinkled up her nose. "What am I good at?"

"You're fast. You're good at defending yourself. If you can push back and attack with the same speed you dodge with, you'd be unstoppable."

Her eyes glinted. "That has a nice ring to it."

Kai rolled his eyes. "You'll never do it."

"I won't?" Anastasia sounded amused.

"You would hate to prove me right."

"Aww, Kai, you _do_ know me!"

Kai made a noise that sounded like a laugh and returned to gazing around the room. There was a mildly attractive girl leaning against the wall opposite him who was giving him a look he knew exactly how to decipher. Normally he would smirk back, but for some reason he didn't feel like it tonight. He turned away, pointedly, and looked in the other direction. He spotted Ray coming towards them.

"Tyson's halfway gone," informed the Chinese boy once he was close enough. "Someone spiked the punch."

Anastasia giggled. From the corner of her eye, Kai saw that she was diligently looking at her phone, but she wasn't typing. Obviously trying to give them some privacy. Kai grunted. "I'm not taking him home, he threw up in my car last time."

Ray shrugged. "Tala said he would. Chief and Max are heading with them."

"I need to drop Anna home."

"Still here, superstar," said Anastasia, jerking both boys from their conversation. She didn't look up from her phone. "Don't talk about me like I'm invisible, its rude."

"We'll head home after I've taken her back," said Kai finally.

"You could at least introduce me, Kai," Anastasia sighed in exasperation, but still refused to look up. "Its only polite."

There was a beat of silence, in which Kai merely closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall again, and then Ray turned to her in slight embarrassment. "Nice to meet you. Hilary and Tala have told us a lot about you. So has Kai."

"I doubt Kai talks about me much, Ray, but you're sweet for trying," she sounded amused, eyes still glued to her phone.

Kai sighed, but didn't open his eyes. "Ray, this is Anastasia," he said slowly. "Anna, Ray Kon. White Tigers."

"Hello," Anastasia finally looked up from her phone and gave Ray a brilliant smile, accepting his outstretched hand. "Call me Anna. Which one is Tyson?"

"Blue hair," Ray grinned and jerked his thumb behind him. Anastasia gripped Kai's arm and stood on her toes, her heels giving her an added height bonus. She narrowed her eyes for a few seconds, then burst into laughter. "The one trying to balance the empty bowl on his head?" she let go of his arm. His arm felt cold without her touch. Weird.

"That's him," grinned Ray.

"He's funny. Next time Kai feels up for social interaction I'll make him introduce me to the rest of your team."

"You'll be waiting for a while then," said Kai dryly.

Anastasia laughed, and quickly engaged Ray in conversation. Kai was glad. Tala was a natural flirt, but Ray's obsession with Mariah, the pink-haired girl from the White Tigers that he had grown up with, meant that it was highly unlikely he would make any advances towards her. Internally, his train of thought made him pause, and then frown. Why did it bother him _so much_ if someone tried to flirt with her? Probably because, despite her tendency to talk too much, he had _enjoyed_ having her around the whole night. He had seen boys eyeing her openly, but she had acted as if she hadn't noticed. Or maybe she actually hadn't noticed. Kai wasn't stupid. It wasn't common decency that made her want to stay with him versus every other guy in the room, but exactly how far did her feelings go? His were slowly becoming immeasurable.

"I've met Mariah!" Anastasia's exclamation brought him back to the present. "Emily hates her!"

"All Starz Emily?" asked Ray in surprise. Of course, it had only taken him five minutes to start talking about his girlfriend. "How do you know her?"

"Your friend Max, his mom is my boss," explained Anastasia, and then delved into a shorter version of the story she had told Kai. He noted that she was much friendlier with Ray than she had been with Tala, but she seemed to be trying much harder to be nice than she normally did. She would have passed a sarcastic comment by now if she had been talking to anyone else, but the smile on her face when she spoke to Ray was warm and completely unaffected.

Kai wondered what she looked like to other people when she smiled at him.


	7. Chapter 7

"I forgot to mention, Tala wants to have lunch," said Anastasia. She looked up from the beyblade she was fiddling with and gave him a sympathetic look. "I told him you wouldn't want to."

Kai groaned and leaned his head back, trying to ignore the dull throbbing in his temples. He had a bad feeling he was developing a cold, probably from the practice he had done for four hours in the pouring rain the night before. It had paid off, because the prototype was trashed and Anastasia was currently making another one – her fourth – but she had clicked her tongue as soon as she had seen his face, and had offered him her steaming mug of coffee without a word. Kai hadn't complained.

"I'll tell him I'm busy," said Anastasia finally, when Kai didn't speak. "But maybe you should head home."

"You need a ride," said Kai, wincing when he heard how hoarse his voice was. He felt like crap.

"And I can get a taxi."

"We've talked about this," damn, every word made his throat hurt. "You don't know the city well enough to take a taxi alone."

Anastasia sighed. She worked in silence for a few minutes, and Kai was just deciding on whether or not to sleep when he heard her get up from the floor, coming to stand in front of his slouched form with a look on her face that was a cross between annoyance and affection. "Go home and sleep off the cold, or cough, or fever. I'll call you when I'm done and if you feel better you can come get me. Deal?"

"No deal."

"Now you're just being stubborn."

"Maybe."

Anastasia sighed and picked up the blanket that was lying across the back of the sofa. She tossed it at Kai and jerked her head at his feet. "At least lie down. I don't have a lot of stuff to do today, I can do the rest from my room at home."

Kai gave her a look that said she needed to stop babying him, and she merely stuck out her tongue in response. Ignoring her childish expression, he kicked off his shoes and lay down on the sofa, tossing an arm over his eyes and leaving the blanket resting under his arm. He felt bad for being so short with her, but he couldn't help it. He felt like crap, his beyblade was still in less than prime condition – and he _hated_ not being able to put Tyson in his place when he was being annoying – and now suddenly his obsession with Anastasia was interfering with everything he did.

Tala wouldn't stop asking about her and Ray always told him to say hi to her before he left the house in the mornings, and he _hated_ that they spoke about her so casually. Only he could talk about her. Added to that, Hilary and Anastasia were talking all the time; he checked her phone more often than he checked his own, a habit that annoyed him because he _shouldn't_ care but he did and he was still working on repressing the feeling that came over him every time he saw Tala's name above his own in her favourite contact list. It was a crush, and it was the kind of crush that he was almost one hundred percent sure he could get over if he could _do_ something about it, but he couldn't. Dickinson had hired her, and she was apparently excellent at what she did, so she was his only hope of regaining the one thing that had never let him down. The very idea of jeopardizing that just because he drooled every time she wore shorts and her laugh made him want to smile was ridiculous.

He liked her, but he liked beyblading more.

Someone clicked their tongue, and the blanket was tugged out from under his arm. "Idiot," he heard her mutter, and then the blanket was thrown over him and that someone was pushing away a lock of his hair that was tickling his cheek, and then he fell asleep.

 **!**

"-iana, I'm catching the next flight out and its none of your concern … Yeah, well, you should have thought of that before you told the lawyers you'd handle it … You're only in charge for another two years, sis, live it up while you – I am _not_ treating this like a joke, _you_ are! Okay, well, if that's how you want to – yeah, you too, sis. Bye."

Kai removed his arm from his eyes and blinked slowly. He hadn't slept for more than an hour, but he knew for a fact that whatever had woken him up, it was bad. Anastasia sounded as if she wanted to scream, and he could hear her footsteps as she paced the room sporadically. He sat up on the sofa, noting with some surprise that his headache was better and his throat wasn't as sore anymore. He was just about to open his mouth and grudgingly admit to Anastasia that she had been right about getting some rest when she turned around from where she had been facing the desk and caught his eye.

Her expression made him jump to his feet and come to stand in front of her immediately. "What?" he didn't waste time offering comfort. Clearly, something horrible had happened.

Anastasia wiped away at a single tear that had escaped from her hard eyes. "My parents are dead."

Kai blinked. Anastasia looked up at him for ten seconds, maybe more, and Kai could see the longing in her eyes, the desire for him to say or _do_ something that could offer her comfort, but he couldn't do it. He was caught off guard, and he was confused, and he didn't know whether he wanted to kiss the girl senseless or hug her close and wipe her tears away.

Anastasia didn't give him any time to decide. She merely pushed past him and made for the door. "I need to get home," was all she said. Kai nodded automatically, grabbing his phone from the sofa on his way out. Her things were in her arms haphazardly. Gently, he extracted her laptop and its bag and, when he saw she wasn't protesting, he took two files as well, leaving her with some loose papers and the prototype she had been working on.

They didn't say a word until they reached the car. Kai paused before starting the engine. He glanced at her, unable to hide his clear discomfort and unease at being thrown into this situation. What was he supposed to _say?_ "Do you want to-"

"Spare me your pity, Kai, I know it doesn't come naturally to you and I don't have the energy to applaud you for performing appropriate social niceties," Kai had never heard her speak to anyone that coldly, let alone himself. He doubted he could control the look of surprise that came over his face. He glanced at her, only to see her quickly typing on her phone. "I'll get Dickinson to send you another technician before tomorrow, my flight isn't for a few hours so I can probably get someone I know and give them most of my data and-"

"I'm not replacing you," said Kai firmly. Anastasia froze, her half-written email still blinking on the screen of her phone. "Your parents just died, Anna, you can take time off and come back when you're ready."

She blinked dumbly. "That could take weeks."

Kai shrugged. "It's not like I have a world championship to prepare for."

"You'd really do that?" the coldness was gone now. They stopped at a red light and Kai turned to face her. Ever since the call had come, she hadn't stopped moving. Her eyes had been hard and focused, but now they were dull and slightly glazed, as if her autopilot switch had been turned off and she had no idea what she was supposed to do.

"Yes, I would," telling himself he didn't know what made him do it, even though he did, Kai rested his left hand gently on her shoulder. "I know you need this job, and I've got time. Go home, and come back when you can."

"I can still meet the deadline," she clicked her phone shut and put it down, balancing it on her knee as she continued to speak. Her eyes were still lost, but her tone was slightly less gloomy. "I won't be gone for longer than a week anyway."

"You can stay for longer."

Anastasia shook her head. "You don't get it. I haven't seen my parents since I was eleven."

"What?" asked Kai incredulously. "Then why-" he quickly stopped himself before he could say what he had been thinking, but Anastasia seemed to have figured it out.

"-why do I care?" she finished his sentence for him and gave a grim smile when he didn't respond. "It's okay, Tatiana asked me the same thing. I don't think she'll even make it for the funeral, but I do have to go."

"What happened?"

Anastasia blinked it surprise. A talkative Kai was definitely something she wasn't used to. "Nothing happened, not really. They paid my expenses and sent me to boarding school, and I just preferred spending my holidays on campus instead of with them. When I was sixteen the money kept coming but the invitations to come home stopped, that's all," she shrugged. "Tatiana went to college and grad school and she stopped getting her share once she started earning. I haven't got mine in about two years, which is around the same time I started working for the BBA. I didn't care, I never have. My parents always felt like strangers. But Tatiana always cared. That doesn't mean I shouldn't go to their funeral though."

"You should go," he agreed quietly. _I'd do the same thing._

"It's the right thing to do," was all she said. And then the car was moving and she was on the phone speaking very fast to someone who sounded like an airport official, and Kai kept quiet.


	8. Chapter 8

" _You're not listening,"_ Anastasia sounded half-amused and half-annoyed.

Kai grunted. "I am."

" _Liar. What did I –"_

"You said your sister isn't coming and that means you'll have more space for your second cousins but it also means you'll deal with them alone," said Kai flatly. Anastasia huffed. He cracked a smile, but only because he knew she couldn't see him. "I told you I was listening."

Anastasia laughed, and then lapsed into silence. It wasn't awkward, or even tense – it was just right, like how they could sit in the same room together without saying a word and never feel the need to break the silence. Kai welcomed it, angling the phone so it rested between his shoulder and ear. He picked up a rock and tossed it into the lake, watching as it interrupted the smooth surface and skipped a few times before disappearing under water.

Anastasia was the first one to break their companionable silence. She usually was. _"Have you smashed the prototype yet?"_

"No," Kai lay back on the grass, closing his eyes against the rising sun. "It's getting there, though."

" _How long do you think it'll take?"_

Kai grunted. Anastasia didn't speak, merely waited patiently for his answer. He gave it eventually, just like she knew he would. "Maybe a week."

" _I shouldn't be gone for longer than that anyway. I'll be back in time to make another one. Is Chief still recording your practice sessions?"_ Kai hummed in response. _"Good, because those will really help me when I get back."_

"How was the funeral?" asked Kai.

Anastasia hesitated. He could almost see her chewing on her lower lip, looking away and tapping her fingers against the nearest flat surface in agitation. _"The burial was fine,"_ she said finally. _"The family wants to do a memorial in a few days, though. And there's the will."_

"You should stay for that."

Anastasia snorted. _"They haven't left me anything, Kai. Tatiana and I have trust that we can access after we turn 21, and that's about it. I'm on my own and I'm okay with that, but I don't want it thrown in my face too much."_

"I didn't stay for my grandfather's will reading either."

Kai had spoken without thinking. He blinked, trying to understand where that sentiment had come from – he had gone to Voltaire's funeral last year like any other family member, but he had hightailed it out of there before any mentions of inheritance could be brought up.

" _Why?"_ Anastasia sounded genuinely surprised. _"If a nut-job like your grandpa had left me anything I'd blow it all off in a week just to spite him."_

Despite himself, Kai laughed at her words. It was a short laugh, unexpected and abrupt – he was smiling afterwards, but otherwise there was no hint that he had made a sound. Anastasia was strangely silent on the other line. "What?" asked Kai.

" _I made you laugh,"_ she sounded just as surprised as he felt. _"Morbid jokes really tickle your funny bone, don't they, hot shot?"_

Kai rolled his eyes, all traces of humour gone. "I told you not to call me that."

" _Sorry, I forgot you prefer it when I say your name."_

"I didn't say –"

" _I mean I know you aren't gay and all but sheesh lay off a girl, would you?"_

He was smiling despite himself now. "You're not funny, Anna."

" _Is that Kai-talk for 'I miss you'?"_

"You're insane."

" _Yup, you definitely miss me. How is Tala dealing with my absence?"_

"He says you're a better training partner than me."

" _Is that because I always lose?"_

"Probably."

" _Dammit, I thought I was really getting through to him!"_

Kai grunted in amusement. Anastasia chuckled softly, and he heard a door close behind her – she has just returned from her morning walk, clearly. He heard quiet noises, sounds he had come to associate with her daily routine over the past week since the first day he had called her on a whim and had kept up since then. She kicked off her shoes, held the phone away from her ear as she undid her hair, and collapsed onto her bed with a huff. She blew a piece of hair out of her face. She sounded exhausted even without saying a word.

"You need sleep," it wasn't a question. Anastasia was excellent at communication on a good day, but the fact that she responded to his texts – and Tala's – at all hours of the day and night told him she was spending most of her time on her phone, in her room. Alone.

Like a child, though, she refused to admit that she was doing something wrong. _"I'm not tired."_

"You're a bad liar, Anna."

" _Fine. I'm not used to this bed."_

"You can sleep anywhere. You're just thinking too much," pointed out Kai. He didn't know why he cared, but he had stopped questioning his motives when it came to her long ago. He wanted her happy and healthy, and he no longer bothered to ask why. He just did what he wanted since it kept that annoying guilty feeling away. "Turn off your brain and get some sleep."

" _There are nicer ways to say you want to get rid of me,"_ she teased, but it was half-hearted. She knew he was right. She just didn't want to admit it.

Still, the fact that she thought he was saying any of this due to a reason _other_ than concern for her well-being annoyed him. So, he broke his cardinal rule. He talked about his feelings. "If I didn't want to talk to you, I wouldn't call you every day," said Kai flatly. "If you sleep, I'll probably talk to you for longer."

At that, Anastasia giggled. _"That has got to be the best incentive I've ever heard for getting some sleep."_

Trust Anastasia to turn his attempts at being nice into something funny. Kai rolled his eyes. "I won't even say that isn't what I meant if you shut up and close your eyes."

" _Oooh, and then what will happen?"_

"Shut up, Anna."

" _Good night, Kai."_

"You better mean that."

" _I do,"_ she didn't sound as though she was making fun of him anymore. _"You're sweet, when you want to be. You know that?"_

"No."

" _Whatever, superstar. Just one more thing."_

Kai groaned. "What?"

" _I miss you too. Bye!"_ and she hung up.


	9. Chapter 9

"You want to do _what?"_

Kai rolled his eyes. "You heard me."

"No, I didn't, because I can't believe you just said that," Tala stared at him slack-jawed, an apple halfway to his mouth. "You want to go? To American? _Now?"_

"Do you want to come or not?"

"Hell yes! But what –"

"I'll take you if you keep your mouth shut, otherwise you're on your own," Kai ignored the look of astonishment his friend was giving him and swiped the apple from his hand, taking a bite and tossing it into the garbage when he was done. Satisfied that he had Tala on his side, he made his way towards his bedroom to begin packing.

Tala didn't get the hint that he wanted to be left alone and followed. "What has this girl done to you?" he demanded. "You're on the phone with her all the time, you make sure she eats and sleeps normally when she's an ocean away, and now you want to fly all the way to America for her parents' memorial service?"

"She hasn't done anything," Kai ignored his incredulous tone and grabbed his bag from under the bed. He began emptying drawers. "We'd go for anyone else."

"No, _I'd_ go for anyone else," said Tala pointedly. _"You'd_ bitch about it the whole way and disappear once we got to the hotel."

"I won't disappear this time."

"Oh, I bet you won't," his tone had gone from surprised to sly now, and Kai paused in his packing to turn back and raise an eyebrow at him. Tala looked smug. "You like her."

"You know I do."

"No, I mean you _like_ her."

Kai didn't answer, and turned back to his bag. "Pack your shit, Tala. Flight's tonight."

Tala didn't move. He was chuckling. "Damn, I knew _she_ had it bad, but I didn't know you did too. Does Anna know you have a major thing for her?"

"I do not have a _thing_ for her," said Kai evenly.

"You totally have a thing for her. _Major._ "

"Tala, I swear –"

"Shut up, Kai, you can't blame me for being surprised," Tala snickered. "Anna isn't your type. You actually like _talking_ to her."

Kai sighed. "What do you want me to say?"

"Can I be godfather to your kids?"

"Get out. Now."

"Fine!" Tala held his hands up in surrender. "We'll talk about godfather later. Does Anna know we're coming?" at Kai's hesitation, his eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "You didn't tell her? We don't even know if she'll want us there! Christ, Kai, are you a _lunatic?"_

"If I told her, she'd say we don't need to," said Kai firmly. "And we need to."

"How can you –"

"Because I buried Voltaire, Tala," snapped Kai finally. Immediately, Tala quietened. "Her parents didn't do shit to her compared to what Voltaire did to us, but they _did_ shit. Who did I have at _his_ service, when people were talking about how good he was and I wanted to punch someone?"

"No one," answered Tala reluctantly. "You wanted to go alone."

"Yeah, biggest fucking mistake of my life," Kai zipped up his bad and folded his arms across his chest. "I won't let her make a stupid decision like that."

Tala ran a hand through his hair. "I'll go pack."

"I'll leave without you if you don't hurry up."

Tala smirked. "You won't."

 **!**

It was a really bad idea, but he knew he had to do it. A crush was one thing, but this incessant need to be around Anastasia, to make sure she was alright, was driving Kai insane. If he wasn't texting her, he was calling her, and if he wasn't talking to her in some way, he was thinking about her. It was stupid. Tala was right; she _wasn't_ the kind of girl he wanted. He wasn't sure if he even _wanted_ a girl right now, so what was he doing boarding a flight going halfway across the world to comfort a girl he wasn't even sure about?

He didn't have an answer. Ignoring Tala as much as possible, Kai opened his laptop as soon as they were on the plane and began the long process of going through the all the files Anastasia had given him before leaving. She had said she would be back soon and he didn't need all her data, but he had wanted it. He was breaking prototypes easily, but something was wrong. He knew it wasn't her; she frowned every time he destroyed one, and it took her longer every time to build something new from scratch. It was almost as if as soon as she had decided what the problem was, something else went wrong and she had to identify the cause all over again. He knew she hadn't been able to work since she had gone back home, and a small part of him wanted to make things easier for her, just so she would have one less thing to worry about.

"You've been glaring at the screen for an hour," said Tala dryly. He took his headphones out of his ears and craned his neck to catch a glimpse of the computer. "What is that?"

Kai resisted the urge to snap. "Stats," he said shortly.

Tala wasn't daunted. "About what? That's Anna's handwriting," he pointed to the current file open, which was a scanned copy of some of Anastasia's notes from the first prototype.

Kai turned to look at him, taken aback. "How the hell do you know what her handwriting looks like?"

Tala blinked. "She prints out stats reports from our battles every time and scribbles all over them to tell me what I'm doing wrong. What the –" he cut himself off abruptly, his eyes widening. "What did _you_ think? She's been writing me love letters?"

Kai snorted, his sudden annoyance diffusing automatically. "As if."

"Yeah, I've been told redheads aren't her type," Tala rolled his eyes. "You're so whipped, man. Tell me this whole trip isn't some elaborate scheme for you to declare your love for her or some sappy shit like that."

Kai sneered. "Would I bring you along if it was?"

"Good point," Tala shuddered. "I do _not_ want to be caught in the middle of that."

"You're an idiot, Tala."

"At least I'm not in love with my technician. Are those her love letters to _you?"_

Kai rolled his eyes. "They're stats reports as well, moron."

"She writes way more on yours than she does on mine," Tala squinted at the screen, angling it towards himself without invitation and reading through the notes quickly. Grunting, Kai gave up the device without argument. "Your defense moves are sloppy."

"No shit."

"No, I mean they're worse than they were before BEGA," Tala shook his head. "Your stats are crap too. What the hell, Kai? How have you been beating me?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out."

"Try harder," looking like a pouty child, Tala sat back in his seat and folded his arms across his chest. "Anna says it's because you're better than me."

"I _am_ better than you."

"My stats are better, and my beyblade is perfect," insisted Tala. "She can't edit the stats to make it _look_ like you're better, right?"

Kai looked up from his screen and raised an eyebrow. "Why would she do that?"

"Because she _likes_ you."

"Anna doesn't mess around about beyblading," Kai rolled his eyes. "If I sucked, she'd tell me. You do suck, so she tells you."

"I do not suck."

Kai shrugged. "Go to sleep."

"What are you, my _mom?"_

"Ouch," said Kai sarcastically.


	10. Chapter 10

"You sure this is the place?" asked Tala suspiciously.

Kai rolled his eyes. "Dickinson got the address for me and the guy just said this is the _Nikol_ residence, what do you think?"

"It just doesn't _look_ like it's the right place," Tala indicated the gates to the vast property dubiously. "There's a pavilion the size of Tyson's dojo outside."

"It's probably for the memorial service."

"But it looks like they're throwing a party!"

"They're rich people," the gate opened automatically and Kai sped inside without a glance back at the guard, who was looking at them oddly. "You sure you can handle this?"

Tala snorted. "Pretend like I'm some rich piece of shit with an attitude problem?"

"Essentially, yes."

"Easy, Kai. I'll just act like you."

Ignoring him, Kai parked behind a silver Bentley that looked like it belonged in a showroom rather than in a driveway, and nodded to a man in a butler's uniform who approached them. Fortunately, he didn't have to talk. They had agreed he wouldn't do any of the talking, and Tala and he were a well-oiled machine by now when it came to public interaction.

"We're here to pay our respects," said Tala briskly, without waiting for the butler's greeting. Kai hung back. "Who is at home?"

The butler was giving them the same, odd look the guard had been throwing their way. "And you are, sir?"

"Ivanov, Hiwatari," Tala jerked his head towards Kai briefly. "As I said, we're here to pay our respects. Who is at home?"

The Russian names seemed to do the trick, as Kai had known they would. The butler immediately ushered them towards the front door and through a vast hallway, decorated tastefully with paintings and marble-topped tables cluttered with ornaments. "Miss Natasha, the late Mr. Nikol's sister, is here, and I assume Miss Anya will join us closer to dinner-time. The other relatives have gone to the graveyard," the butler led them towards what they assumed was a sitting-room. "Will you be staying with us?"

"We will have to decide that," said Tala dismissively. He pretended to look around disinterestedly. "Did you say Anya? You mean Anastasia?"

"Yes," the butler seemed confused by his use of her full name. "Miss Anya said she was going out, but her car is here so she may be in the grounds," they reached a sitting-room with the door open, where a red-headed woman was sitting, papers scattered around on the coffee-table as she read through something on a small laptop. The butler cleared his throat, and she looked up immediately. "Miss Natasha, Mr. Hiwatari and Mr. Ivanov."

"Oh," Natasha blinked, and stood up, holding out a hand in obvious confusion. "Hello, you are…?"

"We're friends of Anastasia's," said Tala smoothly, taking the offered hand and shaking it briefly. "Sorry for your loss, ma'am."

"Oh, yes, thank you," she still seemed confused. "I'm sorry, did you say you were Anna's friends? She didn't mention anyone would be arriving."

"She doesn't know we're here," explained Tala. Natasha raised her eyebrows, but nevertheless indicated for them both to sit. "We're just worried she may be going through some things," continued Tala easily. Kai merely nodded in agreement. "She's been staying in Japan under the care of our team manager, actually. Mr. Dickinson? Perhaps you know him?"

"Oh, you're the beybladers," Natasha's shoulders seemed to relax slightly. "What were your names again?"

"Kai Hiwatari, Tala Ivanov, ma'am."

"Ah," Natasha smiled. "Of course. She's mentioned you both a few times. The few times I've actually managed to get her to talk, of course," tiredly, she rubbed her eyes with the heel of her palm. "If you know anything about Anna, you know how stubborn she is."

"It's why we're here," charming smile at the ready, Tala leaned forward. "Is she here? We'd love to see her."

"She's here, somewhere," Natasha gestured around helplessly. "I'm sorry, I can't be more helpful than that. She comes and goes as she pleases, and the only way I know she's even been home is because she does all the work that's piling up. I wish she'd talk to me."

"Your butler mentioned she might be in the grounds," Kai spoke for the first time, and mentally glared at Tala when he smirked at his comment. "Would she be there?"

"If her car is at home, then yes, she probably is," Natasha ran a hand through her hair. "I could send Martin outside with you so you can find her, if you like?"

"I think that might be a good idea," said Tala. "And when's the memorial service? Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow morning," nodded Natasha. "I don't know if you boys have a hotel lined up? You're more than welcome to stay here, and I'm sure Anna would appreciate the support. We have plenty of room."

"That would be nice actually," said Tala, before Kai could speak and absolutely refuse. "Our bags are in the car. We landed and came straight here."

Natasha smiled. "Oh, you're both so sweet. I'm glad Anna has friends looking out for her. I know nobody else came, from where she works. Though that's probably because I doubt she told them," she frowned again.

Tala spouted off some social niceties that Kai didn't hear and excused them both hurriedly. As if he had a telepathic communication with his employer, Martin the butler was waiting outside the door, a much less hostile expression on his face as he gestured for them to follow him upstairs.

"Miss Anya is in the gardens, as I suspected," he told them as they ascended the marble staircase. "You can see her, actually, from here," he indicated the window on the landing, which overlooked a perfectly manicured lawn with a fountain at one end and a cluster of trees at the other. Kai raised an eyebrow at the obvious extravagance and Tala whistled lowly.

They spotted Anastasia at the same time. From the height, she was merely a speck of black against the bright green grass. She was sitting near the fountain, her dark hair tied up in a messy bun as she rocked back and forth slowly.

Tala cleared his throat. "Martin, why don't you show me our rooms? Kai can get a head start on talking to… er, Anya."

Kai didn't argue, and though Martin looked like he wanted to object, he didn't. He merely pointed out the door which would take Kai out into the garden and began to climb the stairs again. Tala gave Kai a pointed look, but it didn't annoy him. He knew what the redhead meant.

Finding Anastasia was easy. Other than the fact that she was the only person in the garden, the area was so wide and empty that she stood out immediately, in her black dress and with her inky black hair. Kai closed the distance between them slowly. He wasn't at a loss for words, and he wasn't awkward. He was hesitant, because he wasn't sure how she would react to his presence.

He was only a few feet away from her when she heard his shoes crunching the grass and leaves under them. She glanced back absently, probably expecting Martin or her aunt, and she did a double-take when she didn't immediately realize who he was. Her eyes widened when they caught his, and the expression of utter bewilderment stayed on her face as Kai lowered himself onto the ground next to her. It only took a brief glance for him to notice she had been crying – her eyes were red and puffy.

He didn't speak. He knew she would. And she did. "W-what are you doing here?"

He didn't answer her directly. "Tala's in the house," he said. "He got your aunt to invite us to stay."

"Tala?" she sounded even more confused now. "What? You're both staying _here_?"

Kai shrugged. "Looks like it."

"But why…" she trailed off. "I don't understand."

"Memorial's tomorrow."

"Oh," her tone became slightly flat. "It was Tala's idea? He brought you here for the memorial?"

There was a beat of silence. Anastasia hadn't looked away from his face while they'd been talking, but Kai had yet to look at her again. Giving in, he finally turned to face her. He wasn't sure what she had seen in his expression – it was neutral as always – but suddenly she smiled softly. "No. It was you."

"Don't start crying," he warned. "I don't do tears. You can cry when you see Tala."

Anastasia sniffed. " _I_ don't do tears either. I have allergies."

"Hn."

"Ah, I've missed your chattiness."

"What's the deal with you and the redhead inside?" asked Kai.

Anastasia blinked, and then looked away. Her expression was blank. "Oh, me and Tala? Didn't he tell you? We're madly in love and eloping to Amsterdam soon. I told him to trick you into getting here so you could be my bridesmaid at the wedding next week."

Kai snorted. "You're not funny, Anna."

Her tense shoulders slumped. "You're the first person to call me that since I got here."

Kai frowned. "They call you Anya here."

"I hate it," she spoke with more venom than he had expected. As if realizing what she had just said, Anastasia cleared her throat. "Also, who has a butler in this century? Martin's like a dinosaur that never dies, I swear he's been around since my grandparents were kids."

She was rambling, and she was getting more and more upset with every word she spoke. Inwardly, Kai sighed, even as he nudged her with his shoulder slightly to indicate that she could lean against him. It was the only way he knew he could offer her comfort that she'd understand. Immediately, Anastasia rested her head against his shoulder, sighing quietly. Kai didn't stop her. Instead, he shifted so he could rest his cheek against the top of her head. It wasn't weird, or awkward, or even overly intimate to sit like that with her. It _could_ be, and he almost wanted it to be, but it wasn't, and he liked that.

"Butlers are stupid," he agreed quietly. "We had one too, when Voltaire lived in Japan."

"Stupid rich Russian families, turning us into brats and messing us up all in one go."

"Tell me about it," snorted Kai. "You talking from experience?"

"Of course," he felt her shift as her fingers began to play with a loose thread in the sleeve of his jacket. "Your granddaddy was a psychopath. My parents didn't care whether I lived or died, as long as I didn't ask them for money. And now, I just inherited _all_ of it, so tomorrow, when people talk about how amazing they were and all that crap, I have to sit and smile and pretend I agree with them," she huffed. "I _really_ don't want to do that."

She was talking exactly as he'd expected. "I know," he agreed. "But you'll regret it if you don't."

Anastasia pulled away to look at his face, raising an eyebrow. "Don't you regret going to Voltaire's service?"

Kai met her gaze head-on. "I regret going alone."

And suddenly she seemed to realize _why_ exactly he'd flown halfway across the world to her. Because they were friends and he cared about her, sure, and because Tala had been right he _definitely_ wanted to be more than friends. But most importantly, Anastasia finally saw that he was trying to make sure she didn't have the same regrets he had, almost two years after the incident. Because he knew how it felt to feel guilty and miserable, but most importantly _alone._

"Oh, wow," she whispered. Her eyes were slightly wet, but she wasn't crying, and Kai was grateful for that. "Umm, I should warn you about something."

Kai raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I'm about to give you a hug," her eyes were twinkling now. "If you don't want me to, you should probably run away now."

Kai sighed, and reluctantly held open his arms. "One hug," he said warningly, and Anastasia squealed. "And if you even – _oof."_

She had practically tackled him to the ground, laughing softly as she threw her arms around his neck. Kai told himself he had grabbed her waist to make sure he didn't end up flat on the grass with her on top of him, but he knew it wasn't true. He hadn't been this close to her since the first day he had realized he probably liked her, when he had swiped her phone and she had noticed him smiling at her. She was warm and her waist was still tiny, just like he remembered. Her cheek was resting at the base of his throat, forcing him to get a whiff of her fruity shampoo, which was slightly dizzying because he was sure he would never smell berries the same way again.

"You missed me, didn't you?" her voice was teasing, slightly muffled because she had buried her face into the front of his jacket. And he had let her, of course. Her dark mass of hair was in his face, fluttering slightly in the light breeze of the day. Her waves definitely weren't natural. How long did she spend getting ready every morning?

Kai grunted. "You're choking me."

"I am not," she said, but her grip around his neck did loosen slightly. She still didn't let go. "Don't change the subject. You totally missed me."

"About as much as I miss Voltaire."

Anastasia snorted. "Sheesh, break a girl's heart in one sentence, why don't you?"

Kai rolled his eyes. "I thought we'd already decided I can't live without you?" slowly, curiosity overwhelming, he grabbed a soft curl and rubbed it between his fingers. Her hair was ridiculously soft, and those curls were real, he had been wrong. Since when did he like curly hair on girls anyway? "Making me say it won't make it any truer."

"It'd be _so_ satisfying though."

"Not funny, Anna."

"You missed my humour, admit it."

"No, I _really_ didn't miss that."

"Right," she sounded like she was smiling. "Hey, Kai?"

"What?"

"Are you playing with my hair?"

He dropped the curl immediately. "No."

"Just like you didn't miss my jokes, huh?"

"Get off now," said Kai finally, pinching her waist and causing her to yelp as she jumped away from him. Free from her hold, Kai stood up and jerked his head towards the house. "Let's go and see what damage Tala's done."

Anastasia looked up at him, eyes still twinkling. She was grinning. "Can't get out of here fast enough, can you, hotshot?"

Kai kept his eyes on the house. "Are you coming?"

"Now you don't even want to go into the house without me?" she was laughing at him. "I _knew_ you missed me."

Without looking, Kai aimed a kick at her shin. He smirked when Anastasia swore. "Don't push it."

She groaned. "I hate you."

"Don't you forget it."


	11. Chapter 11

"I can't do this."

Tala raised his eyebrows. "What exactly are you doing?"

" _This_!" frustrated, Anastasia gestured towards the view from her window helplessly. "I can't do _this._ I can't be the perfect daughter. I shouldn't have to be!"

"Okay," Tala sounded confused. "Is this about the memorial, or…?"

"It's _everything,_ Tala!" she snapped. "Why are you here anyway? You should be getting ready, you're actually here _for_ this thing!"

"Kai went into the city to do something and told me to make sure you didn't run away when it was time for the memorial," replied Tala easily. Smirking at her expression of disbelief, he sank into her desk chair. "So, princess, looks like you're stuck with me until he shows up."

"Why would he even ask you to do that?" Anastasia sounded annoyed, but she had turned her face away as she spoke, and there was significantly less venom in her voice.

It only took Tala a few seconds to realize she was pleased that Kai had ordered Tala to watch her. He gave her a thoughtful look – she was steadily gazing out of her window at the trickling of guests entering the property with a pouty expression on her face, but she definitely didn't look as angry as she had moments ago. He chuckled. "Because he likes you."

Immediately, Anastasia's shoulders tensed. "What did you just say?"

"He _likes_ you," Tala rolled his eyes. "You knew that, right? It's pretty obvious."

There was a pause. And then, "I didn't think Kai liked anyone," her voice was guarded.

Tala snorted. "Trust me, I've known him since we were kids. I've seen the way he is when he wants to get laid, andI've seen him be nice to girls because he feels bad for them. Neither of those things happen often, because Kai doesn't have to _try_ with girls. Even I've never seen him like thisbefore."

Anastasia sniffed. "Well, yeah, he's nice to me. But we're just friends."

"Has he ever said you're just friends?"

"That doesn't automatically mean he wants us to be _more_ than friends, Tala."

"Doesn't rule out the possibility either, Anna."

Anastasia turned back to glare at him. "You're being stupid. Kai does not have a crush on me."

"Don't act so uptight about it," Tala picked up a pencil off her desk and twisted it around his fingers idly. "I know you like him too."

Her eyes widened. "I do not!"

Tala snorted. "Anna, I wasn't born yesterday. I know you want to jump him. Personally, I think you _could_ jump him and he'd go along with it pretty happily, but Hilary said that isn't a healthy way to start a relationship, so I can't advise it."

" _Hilary_ knows?" demanded Anastasia. "Tala, have you told _Kai_ your stupid theory?"

Tala shrugged. "He wouldn't believe me. He thinks you're too good for him, and that he's got too much baggage to get a nice, normal girl like you interested in him."

Anastasia turned pink, but still rolled her eyes. "Really? _Kai_ said that?"

"Maybe I'm paraphrasing," admitted Tala. Then he smirked. "See what I mean, though? You know that's not the kind of thing he'd say, because you know him pretty well, and that's because you _like_ him."

"Knowing someone well doesn't mean I want to sleep with him, Tala."

"But you _do."_

"You're the one who wants to sleep with anything that moves!"

"And you just want to sleep with Kai!" Tala cackled madly.

Anastasia turned red. "And _you're_ five years old!" she snapped.

"Three," said a flat voice from the door. Anastasia's eyes darted there immediately, and Tala wanted to laugh when he saw her tense posture loosen even more as Kai walked into the room uninvited. He didn't react when Tala tossed the pencil at him and missed; he was already dressed in a suit, tie in hand as he leaned against the bed-frame lazily. "What did you do now, Tala?"

"He's just annoyed that I haven't been lying about his stats from your old battles," Anastasia rolled her eyes, and threw Tala an annoyed look. He grinned, but didn't correct her, and Kai didn't look like he realized she was lying.

"Still think you're better than me?" Kai raised an eyebrow challengingly at the redhead.

Tala rolled his eyes. "I _know_ I'm better than you, Hiwatari. Not my fault the technician is biased."

"I am not!" protested Anastasia.

They both ignored her. "We'll see," Kai smirked. Then, he seemed to notice Tala's outfit. "Why are you dressed like a homeless man?"

Anastasia cackled, and Tala scowled, glancing down at his hoodie and pajama pants. "You dragged me out of bed and told me to watch her!"

"You could've put some clothes on before, dickhead."

Tala grinned evilly. "Why, you worried Anna's going to fall in love with me when she realizes I'm more ripped than you?"

Kai rolled his eyes. "Totally," he deadpanned. "Go get dressed, it's getting late."

Chuckling, Tala left the room, pausing only to ruffle up Anastasia's hair playfully. She swatted him away and fell back onto the bed with a groan, ignoring Kai's presence completely.

Tala was wrong. There was _no_ way Kai had a crush on her. He liked her, and he liked being around her, but that was because she knew what _wouldn't_ annoy him, and she stuck to that. She was also fixing his beyblade. If anything, it was probably gratitude and some friendly affection. Completely platonic. Nothing more.

He was absolutely delicious in a suit, though.

"You're thinking pretty loudly," said Kai dryly. "What did Tala do?"

Anastasia frowned as she sat up. Immediately, she decided to lie again. She was not going to come clean to Kai about her opinion on him with a tie on. "He didn't do anything," she merely glared at the black dress hanging from her wardrobe door accusingly. "I changed my mind, Kai. I'm not going."

Kai nodded, seeming unsurprised. "Okay."

Anastasia blinked. "That's it?"

"I can't carry you kicking and screaming," Kai sat down on the bed next to her, loosening the tie he had probably knotted when she had been brooding. "We won't go if you don't want to."

She almost smiled at his careless words. "We?"

"Tala will probably still go because he says funerals are great places to pick up girls," Kai frowned slightly. "It sounded less weird when he said it."

"Everything he says sounds less weird until you think about it," grimaced Anastasia. Kai lifted one shoulder in a shrug. She nudged him softly. "So you'll stay with me if I don't want to go?"

Instead of answering, Kai fell back onto her bed with a grunt. Anastasia didn't hesitate before following suit. They weren't touching, so it wasn't romantic in any way. But it was nice, and she let out a quiet sigh of contentment.

"I missed my parents' funeral," said Kai suddenly. Anastasia turned to look at him in surprise, but his expression hadn't changed. He didn't sound sad at all. He just sounded like Kai. "I locked myself in my bedroom when I was five and didn't leave until Voltaire sent someone to get me later in the day."

Anastasia bit her lip. Hesitating for only a moment, she touched the back of his hand, which lay next to him, with the tips of her fingers. "Sorry," she murmured. "You must think I'm a brat after what you've been through."

"I know you're a brat," he said dismissively. Anastasia wasn't offended. "I'm telling you so you know that one day, you'll regret it."

"I know I might," admitted Anastasia. "I just – I can't do it. There are too many people who expect me to be perfect, and I'm not. My sister didn't even show up."

"So?" Kai shrugged. "Don't be perfect. Your parents are dead. You're going for you, not anybody else. Your sister isn't here because she feels like she owes them nothing. You still think you do."

Anastasia frowned. "How did you know that?"

"Because I went to Voltaire's funeral thinking I owed him nothing and ended up confronted with a bunch of people who thought he was benevolent and a genius," said Kai. Anastasia blinked. She couldn't remember him ever speaking so much, let alone to her. "Most of those people were mental like he was, but that didn't help me. I ended up getting drunk in my hotel room and stayed there until Mr. Dickinson sent someone from the BBA to check up on me."

She didn't hesitate this time, slipping her hand into his gently. To her complete and utter surprise, Kai intertwined their fingers easily. He didn't even bat an eyelid at her actions. "I'm sorry," she said again, when she'd gotten over her shock. "You've had a sucky childhood."

"So have you," he turned to face her, and Anastasia realized how close they were. Eyes faltering, she turned away, fixing her eyes to the ceiling of her room. It was so much easier to be around Kai when he wasn't being nice to her. "Go because you think you'll be at peace later, Anna. Don't go because you feel like you should."

Anastasia bit her lip. She hadn't been lying. The last thing she wanted to do was go to the memorial and be confronted with the entirety of her family, most of whom considered her and her sister to be pariahs and ungrateful brats who had shunned their family, instead of it being the other way around. It had never bothered her, because she had thought she would never have to see any of them again. Her parents' death was sudden, a freak accident on the highway during a thunderstorm and a drunk driver who hadn't stopped to check for a pulse. She felt bad for the way they had died, but could not bring herself to feel sorry that they were gone. But she didn't want to regret not being there to say goodbye in ten years, when the bitterness would definitely escape her.

She sighed. "I should go."

"If you want to."

"Jury's still out on that," Anastasia snorted, wanting to dispel the tension. "Ever consider a career as a motivational speaker, Kai? You'd be great at it."

Kai rolled his eyes. "I hate talking."

"Could've fooled me."

Kai ignored her and sat up, running a hand through his hair. "You should change so we can go," he said. "I'll go check on Tala." He stood up.

"Cool. Help me up?" Anastasia held out a hand.

Kai grabbed her hand and hoisted her to her feet, dropping it immediately. But Anastasia was standing way too close, and she smelled _really_ good, so he wasn't fast enough in backing away, and she had already kissed his cheek by the time he realized he should move.

"What was that for?" he forced himself to ask. He was also forcing himself not to blush. He raised an eyebrow instead.

Anastasia tilted her head to one side. "Because you're sweet," she smiled softly. "And short of fixing your beyblade in record time, I'm not sure how to show you I really appreciate what you've done. I'm glad you're here, Kai."

Kai shrugged. He didn't want her to feel like she should thank him. "What are friends for, right?"

She raised her eyebrows. "We're friends now?"

He rolled his eyes. "You decided we were friends a day after we met."

"I did," she was smiling wider now. "But you've never said it before."

"I flew in from Japan."

"Now that just sounds like you like me."

"I do like you," he flicked at her forehead, noting the look of surprise in her eyes. "When you're not talking."

Anastasia frowned. "But I'm always talking."

"Exactly."

"Hey!" she slapped his arm. "You're mean."

"That too," he dodged her next slap. "I'll meet you outside?"

"Yeah," Anastasia's smile faltered. "Outside is fine."

Kai looked like he wanted to offer her some form of comfort. Anastasia was almost afraid he would, but instead he merely nodded and walked out, closing the door softly behind him.


	12. Chapter 12

"You look like you're going to faint," muttered Kai out of the corner of his mouth.

"I might," hissed back Anastasia. "They're all looking at me."

"Because you're talking."

"I'm talking to you!"

"I don't look like I'm talking."

"So it's my fault I can't whisper with my mouth shut?"

"You need to shut up."

"I hate you."

"I know," she felt his fingers brush against her knee. "And nobody is looking at you anymore."

"How do you know?"

"Tala just tripped on a chair and went down at the back."

Anastasia resisted the sudden urge to laugh. She leaned to the side slightly, letting her shoulder rest against Kai's arm. He didn't try to move away. In fact, he didn't react at all, continuing to stare ahead stonily at the man giving a speech at the front of the gathering.

It was unlike anything they had ever attended before. The whole idea had been that of distant relatives Anastasia didn't know very well, but half an hour into the function both Tala and Kai had understood what was happening. The Nikols were wealthy and powerful, though exactly how neither of them had been able to figure out, and Anastasia was curiously tight-lipped on the subject. Her sister had been disowned years ago, but their parents had died before they could do the same to Anastasia when she turned 21, which made her appearance all the more note-worthy; she was now the sole heir to whatever business her parents had run.

And the memorial was clearly an occasion to talk about this business more than anything else: Natasha was being hounded by people every time she looked as though she had time to breathe, along with a man with dark hair and the same bright blue eyes as Anastasia, whom the boys assumed was another close relative of hers. They had no idea who else was in the tent; Anastasia had made no move to introduce them to anyone, and other than a few people who gave her nods, nobody outright acknowledged her, preferring to stare and whisper instead. She sat in the front quietly, forcing Kai to sit next to her, even though he had attempted to stop and sit next to Tala at the back of the tent when they had entered. But Anastasia had looked like she was about to run away at the last minute, so Kai had allowed her to drag him along, only pausing long enough to give Tala a look that told him to keep quiet about it.

Surprisingly, Tala had even been behaving. Other than the eyes he was making at a girl about their age with blonde hair and a dress that was inappropriately short for such an event, he had avoided making himself noticeable. Until he had tripped, of course, but Kai wasn't complaining. He wasn't sure how many times he could hold Anastasia back from running before he had to give in and let her do what she wanted.

The man finished his speech to polite applause and a few sniffles from women hidden behind thick black veils, and Anastasia stood up. Kai heard a few other chairs scrape around them and followed suit, shadowing her as she zig-zagged her way through the crowd towards the exit.

Tala was waiting for them outside. He whistled when they finally approached. "Damn, Anna, when were you going to tell us you were loaded?"

"Shut up," Anastasia grimaced. "When my sister got cut off I thought the same thing would happen to me, but clearly it didn't."

"You didn't know?" asked Kai.

"No," she shook her head and fidgeted uncomfortably. "They stopped sending me money when I started earning, I told you, but the lawyers told us I would have had to sign something, and I'm not twenty-one for another two years. Tatiana did sign something, though, which is also why she didn't bother coming."

Sympathetically, Tala patted her shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Anna. We've all got shitty relatives. At least you got money off them."

Anastasia attempted to smile, but it was pained. "Honestly, I really don't know how much more of that I can take."

"We could just leave," Tala shrugged and fished out a pack of cigarettes from his suit pocket. He offered one to Anastasia, who made a face of disgust. Rolling his eyes, he tossed the pack to Kai, who made no move to open it. Tala raised an eyebrow, but ignored him. "There's a sweet Jag out front I'd love to see you break into."

Anastasia snorted. "You mean the silver one?" Tala nodded. "Why would I hotwire it when I have the keys, jackass?"

Tala's mouth fell open. "That's _your_ car?"

"For all intents and purposes," Anastasia shrugged, and then looked at Kai questioningly. "Can we actually leave?"

Kai shrugged. "Shotgun."

"Not fair!" protested Tala. Anastasia smiled and gestured for them to follow her, heading towards the garage a few feet away from where they were standing. The driveway was blocked by the cars of guests and relatives, but she merely slipped between the gaps without batting an eye. Tala grimaced and followed her, trying to keep his suit from touching the dirt on the tires and the bonnets. Kai was stuck behind him, and they had to manoeuvre their way between cars slowly.

Anastasia had beaten them to the Jaguar, and was already sitting in the driver's seat flipping through her phone when Kai and Tala finally showed up.

"Where are we going?" asked Kai, nudging Tala aside as he tried to squeeze into the front seat.

Anastasia shrugged. "I don't care. Where do you want to go, Tala?"

Tala looked thoughtful. "How fast can this thing go?"

Kai narrowed his eyes as Anastasia replied. "I'm not sure. Why?"

Tala grinned. "Want to find out?"

 **!**

"Only you would know about an illegal racetrack in the middle of New York, Tala," said Anastasia dryly.

"I've never had a car fancy enough to drive here," said Tala, bouncing in his seat excitedly. "Kai wouldn't let me bring his car last time we came for a match."

"You trashed the last car we rented, moron."

"That wasn't here!" protested Tala.

"Where was it?" asked Anastasia.

Tala grimaced. "I don't remember. Mexico?"

"I don't even want to know," Anastasia sighed and pulled into the dirt-road that Kai pointed out to her. "You know I'm not driving this thing on a track, right? I failed my test three times."

Tala snorted. "You know how to hotwire a car and you can't drive one?"

"I can drive, I'm just a shit driver," Anastasia shrugged. "You can take it if you like, only if you promise you'll pay for the damages."

"I won't damage it!"

" _Tala!"_

"Fine, fine," Tala rolled his eyes. "I'll have my accountant call you, happy?"

"Mostly," Anastasia put the car into park and undid her seatbelt. "I see a tree stump with my name on it. Have fun, boys."

Beaming, Tala got out of the car and switched seats with Anastasia promptly. She leaned against the open door as he readjusted the seat. He glanced up at her and smirked. "Did I mention Kai's too much of a control freak to sit still while I drive?"

Anastasia quirked an eyebrow at Kai, who hadn't moved from his place in the front seat. "You going to let Tala trash my car alone, Kai?"

Kai merely grunted in response. Tala rolled his eyes. "You up for it, Hiwatari? If you're not, get the hell out and keep Anna company."

Kai undid his seatbelt wordlessly and got out of the car, and Anastasia caught Tala's knowing look just before she slammed the door shut, and he zoomed away immediately. She swore, and followed Kai a few feet away off the tire-beaten track. He was already sitting on a tree stump, looking bored.

She stood next to him, folding her arms across her chest. "Did I just make the biggest mistake of my life?"

"You gave Tala your car keys," Kai raised an eyebrow at her. "What do you think?"

Anastasia sighed. "You think he'll come back?" Kai shrugged. Knowing she wouldn't get more of an answer out of him, Anastasia nudged him with her shoe, indicating for him to make room. He scowled, but moved nevertheless, and she sat down, leaning her back against his shoulder. She was glad of the support, and was closer to him than necessary; there was a perfectly comfortable tree stump a few feet away, but she didn't see the need to use it. If Kai hadn't wanted her to sit with him, he'd have said so.

"You alright?" his voice interrupted her thoughts suddenly. She tilted her head back so it was resting on his shoulder, and quirked an eyebrow at him. He scowled at her.

Anastasia smiled. "I'm fine," she righted her head and stretched her legs out. The dress was much longer than she was used to. "Thanks for this."

"Don't get used to it."

"Too late," she nudged him teasingly. "When I go back to working for you, will you still be this nice to me?"

Kai snorted. "I'm never nice."

"You're nice to me," Anastasia pointed out.

"You're annoying."

"Is that how I get you to be nice to me?"

"Shut up."

"Clearly not," she muttered. Silence fell again, and she dug her cell-phone out of her dress pocket. "Hey, want to see something funny?"

Kai grunted. Despite his expression, however, she felt him move so he could see her screen over her shoulder. His shift caused her balance to give out, and for a moment she was leaning against his chest. The sensation of being so close to him caused a strange warmth to shoot through her body, even as she tried to ignore it. Almost involuntarily, she felt herself blush; and then he moved again so she was leaning against his arm, and she let out a quiet breath.

"What am I looking at?" his voice was flat and uninterested, but it was practically in her ear. His face was much, much closer than she had anticipated.

Anastasia cleared her throat and opened an application on her phone. She could practically feel Kai's disapproval as she hacked into the BBA's records and pulled up a particular file. When she opened it, however, he swore. Anastasia giggled. "Hey, I only promised I'd stop hacking into _your_ life, you didn't say anything about the rest of them."

"Where did you find these?" Kai sounded faintly annoyed, but also a little amused. Without taking the phone from her hands, he reached forward and flicked through the series of photographs on the screen. They were all from an archive a few years old, from the first year of the Bladebreakers' reign as the World Champions. There were a few official shots of the team, some solos, and quite a few from matches and training sessions in various arenas around the world.

"I was looking for some data on your old matches through media archives and found a folder dedicated to your old team," said Anastasia. She smiled when Kai paused on a particular picture. "Well, isn't that precious?"

"Shut up," Kai growled into her ear, but there was no venom in his voice. The picture was of all the Bladebreakers holding aloft a trophy, in various stages of celebration. The camera had even managed to capture Kai mid-smile. "And I told you to stop hacking."

"This doesn't count as hacking. It made you smile."

She heard Kai grunt. "That wasn't the reason you did this."

"How do you know?" she shot back.

"Because I know you, smartass."

"Don't comment on my ass, perv."

She felt Kai pinch her side. "Admit it, you hacked to find pictures of me." The smug note in his voice was unmistakable.

Anastasia laughed. "Yeah, _right._ I was bored. There's nothing to do here. That does _not_ mean I hacked into the classified documents of the company I work for just to stare at your face. I could have just googled you if I wanted to do that."

"You'd be wasting your time. I never get pictures taken," he sounded even more amused now.

"Liar, there were pictures of you and me in those magazines!"

"They weren't official ones," said Kai dismissively. "Tala's the only one who likes the posing stuff the BBA makes us do."

Anastasia snorted. "I know. Have you seen the pull-out poster of him in the weekly sports magazine they sell at the grocery store back in Japan?"

"Yeah. He has three in his room," said Kai humourlessly. Anastasia dissolved into giggles again, and he smiled when he was sure she wasn't looking.

"I would pay for a swimsuit calendar of the Bladebreaker boys, though," said Anastasia slyly, when her giggles had subsided. Kai raised an eyebrow, and she grinned. Flicking through pictures with a practiced ease, she came upon one that made Kai groan. She laughed again. "You forgot about this one!"

"That isn't a pose," protested Kai. "I didn't know there were cameras!"

"You took your shirt off and decided to do a mini-training session in the middle of the day in Beijing, what did you think would happen?" cackled Anastasia. "I might just make that my screensaver."

Kai rolled his eyes. "Subtle, Anna."

"I'm not being subtle. This –" she held up her phone, where the screen was showing a picture of Kai in the middle of a sit-up, eyes hard and bare chest glistening with sweat. "– is quite possibly the hottest thing I've ever seen. Do you still look like this?" without invitation, she twisted around and poked his chest. Kai caught her hand before she could do it again, and she widened her eyes. "What, you're telling me no girl has ever asked you that before?"

Kai frowned at her, and then smirked wickedly. "I don't give them much of a chance to talk."

Anastasia rolled her eyes. "So why can't _I_ see you shirtless?"

"Because you'd be too attracted to me for us to work together."

"You think a lot of yourself, don't you?"

"Don't _you?"_

"Honey, if I wanted to seduce you, I'd be a hell of a lot better at it than you could ever be," Anastasia smiled sweetly and scooted closer, noted with a small level of satisfaction the way Kai's eyes immediately clouded over as she invaded his personal space. The area between them was practically crackling with electricity now – she could feel it, and she knew Kai could too. His eyes were confused, but they were also dark and unreadable, whereas hers were clearly reflecting the strange need to close the distance between them. She could act on it… "But I choose not to," she tossed her hair over her shoulder and turned around so she was leaning against his arm again. The shift was immediate; the electricity fizzled out, and they were once again just friends who happened to be sitting slightly too close together.

Kai didn't answer and they were quiet for a while, the only sound the distant rumble of an engine that may or may not have been Tala finishing off his lap. Anastasia continued to flick through random photos on her phone idly until Kai spoke again. "Didn't know your hacking told you that much about me," his voice was even.

Anastasia shrugged. "You'd be surprised what a bunch of numbers can tell me about a person. I know you don't like it," she added. "But my options are limited."

Kai sighed. "Why do you hack when you could just ask me?"

"Hacking is easier than getting you to open up," she turned back to give him a sly smile again.

"You never shut up when I call you."

"That's because the more I talk, the more you talk."

Kai grunted. "Why do you want to know so much about me anyway?"

Anastasia's eyes softened. "Because you like to pretend you're not a good guy, when you so obviously are."

"I don't –"

"You're pretending again," her voice was so gentle that Kai didn't have the heart to snap at her. Instinctively, his hands clenched into fists. Anastasia didn't notice. "I'm not on a quest to save your soul, Kai. But we're friends, and you're a _good_ friend to me. I'm trying to be a good friend too, and this is the only way I know how. Plus, I like talking to you and I know you don't call a lot of girls in your spare time just to check up on them," she was teasing him again, and the sudden intensity of the moment was gone.

Kai snorted. "I don't call _any."_ He played it cool, but his head was spinning. Anastasia's changing moods and tones were enough to give someone whiplash, and Kai knew he'd be in trouble if he allowed himself to actually consider pursuing her romantically. But he couldn't. They were friends, _good_ friends, and she was a good person.

The screeching of tyres broke the silence again, and Anastasia rolled her eyes. Springing up with the energy of a child, she tugged on Kai's jacket and began to pull him out of the clearing towards the track, where Tala has just fishtailed the car and was waiting for them patiently. The tyres were smoking, but other than that the vehicle didn't seem damaged. Kai raised an eyebrow, even as Anastasia snorted.

"Give me the keys back," she demanded flatly.

"Why?" protested Tala. "I didn't even get a scratch on it!"

"I don't trust you," Anastasia snatched the keys from his hand and tossed them to Kai, who caught them reflexively. "You can drive back," she added to him casually. "If the steering wheel explodes, I don't want to be anywhere near it."

Kai snorted quietly, but got in the front seat anyway. Anastasia, to his surprise, got in the back and allowed Tala to ride shotgun, which made his sulking slightly more bearable. "Where to?" asked Kai, revving the engine.

Anastasia shrugged. "I'm hungry. Tala, you pick."

"Sweet. I know where we're going," easily appeased, Tala began to bark out directions, and Kai glanced up at the mirror, just in time to catch Anastasia's eye as she winked at him and returned to playing on her phone. He tried not to smile.


	13. Chapter 13

Anastasia made the executive decision for them all to leave the day after the memorial service. She had tried to help her aunt as much as she could, she had attended meetings with her family's lawyers at her uncle's behest, and now she was ready to put it all behind her again. More importantly than that, _it_ had happened again. Alice had sent her another magazine article that had come out about Kai and Anastasia, thinking it would be funny.

It wasn't.

But she was going to ignore _that_ for as long as possible. Mind made up, she debated on how to tell the boys that their vacation was at an end before she wandered into the room Kai and Tala were sharing. They were in the middle of a heated debate about the last time they had battled each other when she walked in without knocking.

"We could have been naked," pointed out Tala as soon as he spotted her leaning against the open door.

Anastasia snorted. "I could hear you arguing from my room. I didn't think you fought naked."

"How do you know?"

Kai grunted. "Tala, shut up."

Anastasia raised her eyebrows. "Do you really want to continue this conversation, Tala?"

Grumpily, Tala bit his tongue and lay back down on the large bed, tossing his beyblade up into the air and catching it just before it hit him in the face. "What do you want, anyway? You've been out since morning."

"Missed me?" teased Anastasia.

Tala snorted. "Kai did."

Both Anastasia and Kai rolled their eyes at his statement. "I went out to get us tickets," said Anastasia, choosing to ignore his statement. She entered the room and made a beeline for the bed, jumping up onto it gleefully. Her sudden movement made Tala lose his concentration and his beyblade hit him on the forehead, hard. He yelped. Anastasia ignored him. "I want to leave. The only flight I could get is for tomorrow morning."

"Leave?" Tala sat up, rubbing his forehead and throwing Kai a cautious look. "Like, back to Japan?"

"Yup."

"All three of us?"

"No, you're staying here," Anastasia deadpanned. Tala grimaced. "I just want to get out of here. You guys came and got me through yesterday, which I really appreciate, but you've missed enough practices and I really need to finish Kai's beyblade."

"Well, I…" Tala trailed off, looking at Kai for help. He didn't know what the conditions were for them to be here – Kai had offered to take him along and he had agreed, just as he had gone along with most of Kai's plans since they were children. He had also seen how Anastasia had been on the fence about going to the memorial, until Kai had talked to her. And even though the day had been hard on her, she was smiling and playfully teasing them both again, which meant whatever had happened had been good for her.

Kai didn't answer in words. Instead, he stood up and picked up the empty duffel bag at the foot of the bed, throwing it in Tala's direction. Still concerned about his aching forehead, he didn't catch it and the bag hit the redhead in the face. "Pack," was all Kai said. "We'll need to get to the airport early."

 **!**

The first thing Kai noticed was that Anastasia was nervous.

At first glance, he had dismissed it. She was probably a panicky flyer, an anxious traveler. And then he had started noticing that she seemed to be nervous around _him._ Considering the way they had spent the last few days, he was completely at a loss as to why. Unwilling to show it, however, he experimented.

As they walked into the airport, Anastasia's grip on her shoulder-bag was tight, so Kai tapped her hand once pointedly, causing her to flinch and then turn bright red. He grabbed her elbow to tug her towards the correct queue, and she grimaced. She also hadn't spoken to him directly since she'd announced they would be leaving – all her remarks were directed at both Kai and Tala, but she seemed to be avoiding eye-contact with him particularly. When they entered the departure lounge and saw that they still had an hour before their flight, Tala muttered something about coffee and left, leaving Kai with Anastasia.

He grabbed her arm and halted her movements, raising his eyebrows when she looked at him blankly. "What is it?"

Anastasia didn't have to ask what he meant. Her shoulders slumped with defeat and she sighed, holding out her phone to him. Wordlessly, Kai took it and unlocked it, glancing at the screen. There was a magazine article open, accompanied by a large picture of Anastasia and Kai seated opposite each other in a restaurant, obviously taken through the window. Anastasia's fork was halfway to his plate and she was grinning at him, her head tilted to the side so there was no mistaking who it was. Kai was leaning back in his seat, arms folded across his chest, but he was also smiling. Tala was nowhere in sight.

"This is from the day of the memorial," said Kai. He didn't know what else to say.

Anastasia smiled a little. "Yeah, that is the last time we let Tala pick where to go."

Kai rolled his eyes. "You freaked out because of a magazine article again? I told you, Anna, it doesn't mean anything."

"How does it not bug you?" she demanded. "They keep writing like we're a couple!"

"Why does it matter what they say?"

Anastasia's eyes flashed. "We don't all have a name to fall back on, Kai."

"What does that mean?"

"It means whatever gets printed about you sells t-shirts, whatever gets printed about _me_ shows up when someone Googles me if I apply for a job," snapped Anastasia. "There's a reason I'm a pro-hacker with no social media presence and a phone that has no personality, Kai. The less people know about me, the better jobs I get. Dickinson hired me because all you could find out about me from a search was the work I'd done, _now_ if you search for me in any sporting database, _your_ name comes up!"

Kai blinked. "I didn't know that," he said slowly. Anastasia rolled her eyes and made to walk away, but he grabbed her arm before she could. "Hey," he forced his voice to be gentle. "Look, I'll call the BBA office when we get home and get them to release a statement telling them to leave you alone, okay? And we won't go anywhere that Tala suggests ever again," he added, and Anastasia cracked a smile. He felt his lips pull upwards as well. "Better?"

"A little," Anastasia sighed and punched his arm half-heartedly – it didn't hurt, but every time she touched him his chest constricted, making it hard to breathe. "I'm sorry I snapped," she said bashfully. "It just bugs me."

"Dating me bugs you?" he didn't know what had made him ask that.

Anastasia's eyes widened fractionally, before she looked away. "People knowing my business bugs me," she said. Kai frowned. Anastasia hitched her bag higher on her shoulder and led him towards the table where Tala was slumped over, an untouched cup of coffee in front of him. "I could be dating you or hate you, Kai, that doesn't mean I want magazines to write about it."

Kai merely grunted in response. Mentally kicking himself over even getting involved in the conversation in the first place, he sat down and pointedly smacked Tala's head, making the redhead groan and Anastasia giggle. He offered her a half-smile before returning to the phone that was still in his hand. Anastasia didn't notice and merely pulled out a book to wile away the time, so Kai glanced at the article again.

 _Beyblade's Newest Couple_

 _Kai Hiwatari, best known as team captain of the BladeBreakers and frenemy of World Champion Tyson Granger, has been spotted on more than one occasion with Anastasia Nikol, most recently in sunny New York. Nikol is a small-time techy who hit it big when she was signed on to work as a part of the technical team for the American representatives at the Beyblading World Championships, the All-Starz. Little else is known about her, though BBA sources say Nikol is working with Hiwatari and the rest of the BladeBreakers on upgrading their beyblades in preparation for the upcoming World Championships, but anyone who has seen the couple can confidently say that work seems to be the last thing on their minds._

 _Unused to being in the spotlight, this is now the second time Nikol has been spotted with Hiwatari, first in Japan and now halfway across the world (though those smiles don't speak much of jetlag – who knew Kai Hiwatari could grin?!). Sources at the Japanese BBA office say that one is rarely seen without the other, and while it was nice of Hiwatari to help out the new girl in the beginning of her assignment, it's gotten clear now that help isn't the only thing on his mind. Whether or not they make a cute couple isn't the question anymore. The question is, when will they own up to it? Representatives have been contacted for further information._


	14. Chapter 14

_Dear Anastasia and Kai_

 _I am very pleased at the progress reports I have been receiving from Anastasia regarding the upgrades being done to Dranzer. It seems the method of designing prototypes is working well, and I'm sure you're very close to a breakthrough. It might be worth meeting with me to discuss your plans for the future – as you know, Anastasia was only engaged to work for two months, after which an assessment report would conclude whether or not the time spent had been allocated wisely. I have no doubt that that is exactly what has happened, and would therefore be very willing to extend your contract to the estimated four months that was previously agreed upon._

 _Feel free to discuss it amongst yourselves and/or with me should you feel the need to._

 _Looking forward to seeing you soon_

 _Regards,_

 _Mr. Stanley Dickinson_

 _Chairman, BBA Japan_

Anastasia frowned at the email she had just opened. Of course, everything in it made sense: she had only been given two months to fix Kai's beyblade, after which Mr. Dickinson was supposed to review her progress and sign her on for any additional time she needed, which she had early on decided would be another two months. She was confident she would have something by then, but that wasn't what was confusing her. It was the fact that the email had been sent last night, and a quick scan of the read reports on it (she knew it wasn't exactly ethical to scan when and if someone had read her emails but she did it anyway) told her that Kai had read the email almost immediately after it had arrived, but hadn't responded to it.

Why hadn't he responded? Anastasia bit her lip as she absently tossed clothes out of the haphazardly packed suitcase she had taken to America. They had landed hours ago and Kai had dropped her home, after which she had crashed almost immediately for twelve hours. She had woken up to a setting sun, a messy room and a backlog of emails that needed to be read, but she hadn't made it past Mr. Dickinson's email yet.

Why hadn't Kai replied? Did he not want her to stay? Did he not think she was doing a good job? Anastasia's eyes widened as another, sickening thought hit her. Did he _know?_ Did he _know_ that she liked him, _much_ more than a friend, and did he want to discourage it? He was always so dismissive about tabloid gossip, but he had been quick to offer a publicist who would make it all go away if she wanted after that last article. And she did want it, because if she was lucky enough to date Kai she would make sure there was no interference from anywhere, least of all the press.

But did that mean he thought she wasn't a professional? Admittedly, there was nothing professional about _him_ flying halfway across the world just to hand-hold her through her parents' memorial service, but she certainly hadn't asked for that. It had all been on him, and he had been kind and sweet and so unlike the icy image of himself that he presented normally that she had found herself falling for him a little more with every passing moment, every gentle smile and every teasing word. But she hadn't asked for it, and she shouldn't be punished for it just because _he_ had decided to be friends with her.

With every thought, Anastasia grew more and more annoyed. Did he really think he'd get a better technician than her, anyway? She was the best: they all knew it. She had been able to have him beyblading well enough to beat Tala and give Tyson a hearty challenge only a month into working with him, while Kenny had been struggling to even make a beyblade that Dranzer could come out of without shattering due to the force of her power. But Anastasia had done it, because she understood Kai and his beyblading techniques better than the others. And it wasn't because she was in love with him, it was because that's what she _did_ and _studied,_ and given a few more weeks she knew she could make a solid beyblade that would be everything he needed, and more. But in order to do that, she had to _stay,_ and she had worked too hard to have someone else step in and take the credit for her effort, which they could easily do just because her data analysis was excellent and she could probably teach a give-year-old to build beyblades if she wanted to.

"Ouch," Anastasia swore as she cut her finger on a loose piece of paper, glaring at the offending document before tossing it in the trash. She sucked on her finger moodily and picked up her phone, checking to see if Kai had replied to the email in the last five minutes, by some miracle. He hadn't. She narrowed her eyes and dialed his number.

He picked up on the third ring. _"Anna?"_ his voice was hoarse, and he sounded as though he had just woken up.

For a second, Anastasia faltered. "Oh no, I'm sorry. Were you asleep?"

" _Yeah,"_ it was sinful, really, the way he sounded right now. Anastasia could even imagine how he looked: tousled hair, bleary eyes, his hands rubbing his jaw as he squinted out the window to see what time it was because Kai Hiwatari didn't need a watch when he had the moon… Anastasia shut her eyes and took in a deep breath, channeling all her annoyance. _"What is it?"_

"Mr. Dickinson sent an email," she said, her tone clipped. Kai didn't respond, and she continued. "It's about me, staying on for a few more weeks to finish your beyblade."

" _So?"_ Kai yawned.

Anastasia huffed. "I know you read it, Kai. Why didn't you reply? It was addressed to both of us."

" _I had nothing to say,"_ he sounded grumpy now. _"How did you know I read it? Did you hack me again?"_

"Doesn't matter," Anastasia said. She ignored the way her heart sank slightly at his words. "If you had nothing to say, this conversation is over. I'll send him an email telling him I should just go."

" _Wait, what?"_ instantly, he sounded confused. _"You want to leave? Why?"_

"You just said –"

" _Dammit, Anna,"_ Kai grunted in frustration and she heard a door open and close at the other end – he had clearly left the room. _"What the hell do you mean, you're leaving because of some stupid email?"_ he was talking louder now, _much_ louder. Anastasia winced. _"You can't finish the beyblade or is it something else?"_

Anastasia blinked at his tone, her tirade of accusations about him thinking she wasn't good enough abruptly halting. "I don't want to leave!" she persisted. "I want to stay, and I _know_ I can finish it! But you never replied to the email so I thought you didn't care either way."

Kai sighed. _"Listen to me,"_ he said impatiently. _"Me not replying to an email shouldn't make you jump to conclusions. I read it when I was half asleep, and I wasn't going to reply anyway because I don't need to. You can set up a meeting, and I'll be there to back you up in case he decides to try and send you away, or we can ignore him and you can do what you need to do. I don't care either way, you're in charge here."_

"Oh," Anastasia bit her lip to stop the smile from seeping into her voice. "Okay. So, you want me to stay, right?"

" _Duh,"_ Kai snorted. _"What are you, twelve? You want me to spell it out for you? I want you to stay, and I want you to be the one to fix Dranzer. I thought you figured that out, Anna."_

"Doesn't hurt to hear it."

" _I'm not here to do that,"_ said Kai bluntly. Anastasia smiled anyway. _"You tell me if you've got a problem, you don't act weird and then yell at me for no reason."_

"Sorry," Anastasia was sure he could hear her smiling now. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

" _Bright and early,"_ said Kai dryly. _"If I wasn't jet-lagged out of my mind I would have driven over and strangled you for waking me up right now."_

Anastasia winched. "I do feel bad about that part."

" _You should be asleep too."_

"I slept on the plane. I had an awesome pillow."

" _You slept on my shoulder the whole time."_

"And you didn't tell me to get off, which is how I know you didn't sleep during that time," snickering, she collapsed onto her bed and sighed. "Sorry I freaked on you. Text me when you're up again and we can get back to work, okay?"

" _I will. Bye,"_ he hung up without waiting for a goodbye, but Anastasia didn't care. Ignoring the mess in her room, she punched her pillow and settled in for another nap, a small smile lingering across her lips.


	15. Chapter 15

Kai walked through the BBA office leisurely, for once grateful for the absence of the human whirlwind that was normally attached to his side. He had dropped Anastasia off at the office that morning, and spent the rest of the day overseeing his team's practices, sans beyblades. An entire morning and afternoon of Tyson, Max, Rey, and even Tala groaning and whining as he made them run, jump, and basically act like circus clowns was music to his ears. No wonder Kenny had called him a sadist. Still, it had been necessary; the team was ridiculously out of shape, and they needed to be in top physical form to avoid any curve-balls the championships threw at them this year.

And the training wasn't over yet. He was only on his way back to take Anastasia home, and pick up the prototype that she had designed so he could take it back and the team could do a Battle Royale as the finishing touch on a good day of practice. Kai had been reluctant to engage in a rough battle so soon after getting a new beyblade, but it had been Anastasia's idea in the first place, and her confidence was hard to disagree with.

Kai wasn't sure what had come over her, but ever since last week when he had told her – in a very sleep-deprived state – that he wanted her to stay and work on his beyblade, there had been a weird spring in Anastasia's step. Work no longer seemed to be work: he had caught her humming at one point, even though she usually snapped and demanded silence when she was going over data or even putting together a beyblade. She was also smiling at him more often, if that was possible, and her comments had even ranged to flirty at one point, more so than usual at least: she had taken to requesting that he remove his shirt if he off-handedly asked her if she wanted something, like when he was going to get coffee or food. It was weird, but he wasn't complaining. Anastasia was beautiful, smart, and she knew when he wanted quiet; unfortunately, she also made him want to punch the teeth in of any guy that looked at her twice.

The door to the office was open when Kai reached the correct floor, and he raised his eyebrows when he saw what was inside. Anastasia was lying flat on her back in the middle of the room, surrounded by beyblading parts, loose pieces of paper, broken pencils, a hammer (he knew better than to ask), and her laptop, which was upside-down by her feet, for some reason. The room was a complete mess, and Kai didn't have to turn around to know that the trash-bin in the corner was already overflowing.

He cleared his throat as he entered the office, but Anastasia didn't get up. She merely raised a hand. "Hey."

"What are you doing?" asked Kai tiredly.

"Nothing. I'm finished," her voice was almost as flat as his. Without waiting for a response, Anastasia picked up something by her head and tossed it towards him. Kai had to take a few steps forward to catch it before it hit the ground. "Just put Dranzer in when you're ready."

Kai glanced down at the beyblade in his hand. It looked a lot like the last prototype, but was significantly lighter, which he didn't understand because the attack ring was definitely new, and slightly jagged, which meant it should have weighed more than it did. But he didn't voice his concerns: Anastasia would simply sprout a bunch of technicalities he had no hope of understanding, probably to confuse him on purpose.

"Looks good," he said, pocketing it. "Can we leave?"

"Sure," she didn't move.

Kai sighed and walked further into the room. "You finished a new prototype in one week, why aren't you doing cartwheels or something?" He sat down next to her, noting that her forehead was scrunched up in a scowl. Without considering what he was doing, he reached forward and smoothed the frown lines off her forehead.

Anastasia's eyes shot to his immediately. Fortunately, she didn't comment on it. Instead, she huffed. "My sister called me."

Kai rolled his eyes. "What happened now?"

"She wants me to call the lawyers and give my inheritance back to the family."

Kai snorted. "Yeah, right."

"That's what I said," Anastasia rolled her eyes and sat up, pushing her hair over her shoulder moodily. "She says I don't need it, if I'm ever short on money I should just ask her, and that I shouldn't want to be indebted to them for anything or associate with the family more than I have to."

"The money has nothing to do with associating with your family," pointed out Kai. "You showed me the will, Anna. They left you cash, a lot of it, but nothing else. Put it into your bank account and forget they exist."

"I said that too!" Anastasia threw her hands up in frustration. "She's just so damn secretive about everything, it's like I'm ten years old and she's trying to be some wise old woman or something! She won't tell me what's going on, and when I ask her flat-out what the big deal is about letting my dead parents pay my rent, she started crying! I felt like a jerk," she sighed, her shoulders slumping wearily. "I had to hang up, and now her fiancé keeps asking me why she's being so impossible. Even dead, my parents are such a pain. I really hate my family. Have I mentioned that?"

"You have," despite himself, Kai smiled a little. "Just forget about it, she'll cool off in a few days and you can talk about it later."

"I guess," Anastasia sighed, then gave him a small smile. "Sorry, you came to pick up your beyblade, not listen to my problems."

Kai merely nudged her shoulder and stood up, offering her a hand. "Come on," he said. "You can watch your prototype in action."

 **!**

"Kai's doing really well," said Hilary thoughtfully. "He seems to have way more control over Dranzer than he did last time he let us watch him practice."

Anastasia snorted. _"Let_ you watch him practice?"

"Yeah," Hilary giggled. "I didn't even know how many prototypes you had made for him until just now. He's super secretive about the work you do."

"Of course he is," Anastasia rolled her eyes. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"

"Because he's Kai," Hilary smiled and shrugged. Anastasia laughed with her, but didn't take her eyes off the beydish, where the boys were battling fiercely. Tyson's dojo didn't have the adequate facilities for a Battle Royale, so they were in the park in one of the larger beydishes, and the girls were seated a few feet away on a bench, slightly higher up so they could still watch. Anastasia's laptop was off and sitting in her bag at her feet; she didn't need statistics to know the outcome of the battle, even though Kenny was madly typing away and yelling at Dizzi to work faster. "We just accept it now," continued Hilary. "But you've done a great job, Anna, on both of them."

"Both?" Anastasia finally tore her eyes away from the battle to give Hilary a curious look. "What do you mean?"

"Dranzer _and_ Kai," Hilary gave her a secretive smile. "He smiles more, you know."

"That's because he's finally getting Dranzer back," said Anastasia immediately. "I don't make Kai smile or any of that sappy stuff, Hilary. We're friends, sure, but he only tolerates me more than other people because I know when to keep my mouth shut."

"As if. I've seen you talk non-stop at BBA parties and at clubs, and he still doesn't leave your side," Hilary rolled her eyes. "Plus, it's not just the smiling. The whole going to America thing? He wouldn't do that for anyone else."

"That's different," awkwardly, Anastasia played with a lock of her hair. "He understood what I was going through. He was being a good friend. It didn't mean what you think it does."

Hilary sighed. "Tala said you were dense about this, but I didn't realize how bad it was. Do you have no woman's intuition? He _likes_ you!"

It was difficult to take offense at what Hilary said. Despite how brisk she was, her eyes were kind, and Anastasia knew that she and Tala were only trying to help. Nevertheless, she shook her head. "I'm sure he doesn't, but even if he did he's clearly not going to do anything about it, is he?"

"Since when do boys know what they want?" Hilary huffed. "You _have_ to shove it in their faces before they realize what they're missing out on."

Anastasia grimaced. "Umm, I _really_ don't want to –"

"Oh, no!" Hilary shuddered. "Please, I do _not_ want to think of Kai like that, or even you! Or you _and_ Kai!" she looked slightly green. "I mean, you guys look cute together and all, but that's just too much!"

"What's too much?" Max was the first one out, and he panted slightly as he flopped down onto the seat next to Hilary. Without batting an eye, she handed him a water-bottle and a bar of chocolate, which he accepted with a cute grin and a word of thanks. "By the way, sweet work on Dranzer, Anna. That new defense weight is killer."

"Thanks, Max," she smiled proudly. "Glad you approve."

"Do you think this is the final one?" he asked curiously.

Anastasia shook her head. "No way, it definitely needs a few more tweaks, but maybe less than I thought since he's lasted so long."

"If I wasn't afraid of my mom murdering me, I'd ask you to help out with Draciel too," confessed Max sheepishly. "But I know your contract says you can't do that."

Anastasia smiled and engaged Max in idle conversation about defense tactics, and Hilary pouted slightly when she realized they couldn't finish their discussion. Anastasia inwardly sighed with relief, until she noticed the slight smirk on Hilary's face as she watched the match. Her eyes flew back to the beydish, zeroing in on the only person she actually wanted to see, but Kai looked away as soon as they locked eyes. He had been staring at her. During a match.

"Idiot," she muttered to herself, before she could help it. Next to her, Hilary giggled.

Ray and Tala were out next at the same time, both supporting looks of wonder on their faces. "You are a goddess," said Tala, falling to Anastasia's feet dramatically. "Kai's finally stopped PMSing! We're saved!"

Anastasia laughed. "Knock it off, Tala," she poked his arm with the toe of her sneakers as he settled down on the ground at her feet. "You'll distract them."

"Nah, Tala's got a point. Kai's doing great," said Rey, accepting the water bottle and towel Hilary threw his way. He wiped the sweat off his brow and smiled at Anastasia. "Chief better watch out. You'll have a new fanclub after this is over."

"That's sweet of you, but I've had more experience, and training," said Anastasia smilingly. "Kenny's brilliant, you guys are lucky to have him. But Dranzer needed something else," she glanced back at the battle, and was impressed with Tyson's endurance. "Fortunately, I figured out what it was."

"Yeah, now if only Kai could figure out what _he_ needs," Tala leaned back in his seat and grinned at Anastasia slyly.

"He's not the only one who needs to figure it out," muttered Hilary.

Anastasia pretended to ignore both of them, even as a tiny seed of hope began to grow in her heart.


	16. Chapter 16

Anastasia flicked as the shredded pieces of paper, not even bothering to pay attention to the video that was streaming on the laptop screen in front of her. She knew it by heart anyway. She picked up a pen and began to pierce the loose bits of paper scattered on her bed with its tip, telling herself she was going to clean up and get back to work. Instead, she huffed in annoyance when she was done and scattered them again.

Her bedroom door opened behind her without invitation, and she glanced back warily. Alice had only knocked once when she had started yelling, but she had forgotten to lock her door so she wouldn't be surprised if her friend tried to venture inside now. But it wasn't her. It was Kai, and he looked annoyed. His hair was also slightly wet, along with the neckline of his t-shirt. Was it water, or sweat? She couldn't tell, and she cringed away from him as he stalked towards her. He hadn't yelled at her before, not that she could remember, but judging by his expression it looked like he was ready to.

"Move," he growled out, and Anastasia automatically scooted to the side, leaving enough room on the bed for him to sit down. Without invitation, he snapped the laptop screen shut and glanced at the mess in front of it. His annoyance seemed to evaporate, replaced with something like… worry? She couldn't tell. She _hated_ how she couldn't read him sometimes. "What happened?" he asked finally. His voice was even now. If Anastasia didn't know better, she'd say he wasn't really interested. But he was, or else he wouldn't have asked.

"I was working," she lied immediately. Kai raised an eyebrow. She looked away. "Fine, I was yelling at my sister on the phone."

"At three in the morning."

"Well, it's six now."

"And you only shut up thirty minutes ago."

Anastasia narrowed her eyes. "How did you know that?"

"Alice called me."

"I didn't realize you two knew each other," Anastasia rolled to the side and picked up a bottle off the floor. Kai didn't need to know that the clear liquid in it was three parts Vodka and only one part water. She wanted to do something with her hands so he couldn't see that they were shaking slightly. She also wanted to put some distance between them. Absently, she unscrewed the cap and took a sip, trying not to grimace.

Kai didn't notice. "We don't know each other. She thinks I'm your boyfriend."

Anastasia choked. _"What?"_ she spluttered. When she saw that Kai was smirking, she turned red. "I hope you corrected her."

"She hasn't said it to me," Kai rolled his eyes. "It was the way she asked if I could help."

"I don't need help."

"You were screaming in here for two hours and then you threw something against the wall," he scanned the room and his eyes landed on the smashed china mug by the door. "She should have called me earlier."

"What could you have done?" Anastasia snorted and got off the bed. She needed more distance. He was too close, and he smelled nice, and the last time he had been in her bedroom they had laid on the bed together and held hands.

"Made you shut up," Kai raised his eyebrows. "What did Tatiana do?"

"She called a lawyer and sent me a document detailing how I can give the inheritance back and sever all ties with the family," Anastasia rolled her eyes, even as she felt her temper rise again. "She got into my bank account, my credit history, my contract with the BBA, _everything._ She had no right. I need the money, and if she thinks I'm going to ask her for help _now,_ after she invaded my privacy and acted like a complete psychopath, she's an idiot."

Kai narrowed his eyes. "Why doesn't she want you to keep the money?"

"How should I know? She won't tell me!" Anastasia's voice was rising again: anger combined with alcohol was a bad combination.

Kai seemed slightly taken-aback by her outburst. "Hey, calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down!" snapped Anastasia. She squeezed the bottle tightly in her hands, dying to have a drink but worried he would realize what she was doing and intervene. She both wanted him to and didn't want him to. Why did he have to come anyway? "I know everyone thinks we're dating, Kai, but you're not responsible for me. I can take care of myself."

She was angry, she knew she sounded mean, and she also knew she was only saying these things to him because he was here, he wouldn't run away if she started yelling at him, and she was slightly tipsy. Kai's expression didn't even crack. "I'm not interested in taking care of you," he said flatly. "I don't have time for it, and I don't care."

Anastasia winced at his words, deflating immediately. _Of course_ he didn't care. He was Kai Hiwatari, and she was the girl who was fixing his beyblade, nothing more. As good as she was at telling other people that was all they were, it hurt to acknowledge it herself. She tried to hide her expression, but it was no use. She looked pathetic, and Kai's expression seemed to soften slightly when he looked at her, properly, and saw that her eyes were bloodshot and she was sniffling. Anastasia wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "Just go," she said flatly. She would have sounded more assertive if her voice hadn't cracked on the last word.

Kai sighed and got up, coming to stand next to her. "I didn't mean it like that," he said, sounding slightly awkward. Anastasia didn't look at him, and he touched her hair, tugging at a loose curl almost playfully. "Hey, look at me."

"No, you're right," Anastasia shook her head. "You don't have time for this, and you shouldn't care."

"I do have time, and I do care," the words sounded so odd when he said them, so why did they make her turn to look at him immediately? His face was still impassive, but she felt his fingers brush against her cheek now. "You know I do, Anna."

Anastasia let out a shaky breath, willing herself not to get too caught up in his mesmerizing eyes. "Okay, you do, but you don't have to stay. I'm not mad. You should go, I'll be fine, and I won't break anything else so Alice can calm down."

"Shut up," Anastasia almost jumped out of her skin when she felt him draw an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into a hug. Her eyes widened and she froze in his arms, but he was warm and strong and as cliché as it sounded she felt _safe_ right now, her head tucked into the crook of his neck like it belonged there. Sighing, she let her tension ebb away and melted further into his embrace. "I drove here at six in the morning to make sure you were okay," he said, almost gruffly. "You going to stop yelling now?"

"Maybe," she buried her face further into his neck, inhaling the musky scent that was purely Kai. How had she never noticed it before? "You smell nice," she blurted out without thinking.

She felt Kai's chest vibrate with laughter under her hands, and she couldn't help but smile slightly. It was always nice when she made him laugh. It wasn't often, and he usually laughed _at_ her, but it was still cute. "And you've been drinking."

Anastasia shook her head. "I don't know what you mean."

"I can smell it," he pulled back slightly and grasped her chin, tugging her face up to his level. Anastasia kept her lips firmly closed. He rolled his eyes. "I'm not an idiot. That isn't water, is it?" she had dropped the bottle when he had hugged her, and he nudged it with his foot pointedly.

Anastasia stuck out her tongue, and Kai let go of her face. One of his arms was still wrapped around her waist loosely, and she could feel his warm hand on the small of her back. His other hand was fishing around in his pocket, and Anastasia raised an eyebrow when he took something out and offered it to her.

"You brought me chocolate?" she asked incredulously.

"Half of it's mine," he said pointedly. When she continued to stare at him in confusion, he grunted. "I don't like crying girls, okay?"

Anastasia's lips twitched. "Oh my god, you're adorable."

"Shut up," Kai rolled his eyes and tugged her back towards the bed, and Anastasia tried not to giggle at the idea of Kai Hiwatari bringing her chocolate at six in the morning just because he had heard she was upset. It was so hard, when he did things like this, to pretend he didn't like her. It was even harder when he sat next to her on the bed where she _slept_ , and that too _much_ closer than necessary, and offered her chocolate.

Anastasia was tired and upset, and the stinging behind her eyes hadn't calmed down; she knew she would have to cry and maybe scream a bit more later. But she didn't want to do that right now. For now, it was nice just to rest her head on Kai's shoulder, watching his fingers methodically break the chocolate bar into small squares and offer her one, eat one himself and repeat the process all over again.

"Thank you," she said suddenly. Kai's hands paused: she looked up at him and saw that he was looking down at her expressionlessly. "For checking up on me," she clarified. "You could have just called."

"I did," he snorted, and picked up her phone off her bedside table. Anastasia took it from him, having forgotten all about it. Her eyes widened when she saw the twelve missed calls from him, including a multitude of text messages, all sent within fifteen minutes of each other.

 _KH: Alice just called me and said you're upset. Pick up your phone._

 _KH: She's saying you're throwing stuff around the room._

 _KH: I am not coming to your house at six in the morning. Pick up the damn phone._

 _KH: Seriously, Anna?_

 _KH: I'm going to kill you._

For some reason, the texts made her laugh. "You talk more on here than you do when I see you!"

"You talk enough for the both of us," Kai offered her another square, and she shook her head, leaning against his arm again. He didn't particularly enjoy it when she was so close to him, she knew that, but Kai hated crying girls and this was the second time she hadn't forced him to hug her now. It wasn't exactly romantic, but she'd take it. Just then, her phone buzzed with an incoming message, and Anastasia heard Kai's phone trill out with an alert a few seconds later as well.

"Someone's looking for us," she hummed. Kai didn't answer her and pulled out his phone, tossing it to her so she could check it. Anastasia typed in his password – which she had hacked out of his phone two days after meeting him – and opened the message. It was from Tala. She snorted a few seconds later. "Incredible."

"What?" Kai glanced down at his screen, reading the sender's name. He groaned. "Shit."

"When were you going to invite me?" she teased, her eyes glued to the cartoon playing on Kai's phone screen. It was an animated version of a redhead throwing a water balloon at the screen, the resulting splash spelling out the words _Tala's birthday_ in bold, red letters, along with a date and address. "Also, who the hell put so much effort into this message?"

"I think he bullied Kenny into it," Kai grunted. "I don't want to go."

"Why?" she glanced up at him curiously.

"He's invited half of the city."

Anastasia snorted. "You won't talk to half the people you live with there, much less half the city, what do you care?" she picked up her own phone and opened the message, giggling at the little cartoon again. "This is actually kind of funny." She began to type out a message to Tala.

"Don't encourage him," said Kai wearily.

"Don't be grouchy," she elbowed him. "Where is this place, anyway? It's out of the city."

"My house."

"Your house?" Anastasia sat up, her eyes wide. "Like, _that_ house?"

"Yes, Voltaire's house," Kai seemed amused at her reaction. "Why?"

"Tala's throwing a party in your psycho grandfather's mansion?"

"I don't think my grandfather will care," said Kai dryly. "It's the only place big enough. We've done it before."

Anastasia grimaced. "That's some weird kind of karma."

"Why do you think I let him do it?"

"Point taken," Anastasia sighed. "Damn, now I need to buy a dress."

"I'll take you tomorrow," Kai stifled a yawn with the back of his hand. "What are you doing all day?"

Anastasia shrugged. "I was going to take a nap, and then I'll just do what I was doing when you walked in, I guess," Kai raised an eyebrow. She grimaced. "Not the breaking stuff part. I was reviewing Kenny's data from your battle with the last prototype, against the rest of the team."

Kai tried to look disinterested. "He gave you the footage?"

Anastasia grinned. "You sound curious."

"I'm not."

"You're such a bad liar," Anastasia laughed and pulled her laptop towards her. Kai's legs were already on her bed, and she planted her computer on his lap, opening the lid and indicating for him to play the video. "You can watch it, if you want. I only saw the first few minutes because I was doing an endurance analysis against everyone at once, but he sent me the whole thing."

Kai hesitated for a second, not knowing if she was being nice or if the offer was genuine. It _was_ really early in the morning, and she had said she was going to sleep, but from the corner of his eye he saw that Anastasia's attention was already elsewhere. Her phone beeped, and she immediately picked it up to answer a text, probably from Tala. She was still leaning against his arm, her head resting on his shoulder slightly: she didn't _seem_ to want him to leave. And anyway, he had nothing to do and he really, really didn't want to move. Automatically, he pressed play.

Kenny's footage was always excellent quality, and Kai found himself smirking more than once when Dranzer made a particularly good move that the camera managed to capture. He had turned the volume down because he knew how loud they had been that day, but when Draciel was knocked out and the camera caught Tyson saying something he didn't remember hearing, he went back a few minutes and turned the volume up.

"– _he only tolerates me more than other people because I know when to keep my mouth shut."_

Kai frowned. That had sounded like Anastasia. What was she saying, and more importantly why could he hear _her_ and not his team-mates?

" _As if. I've seen you talk non-stop at BBA parties and at clubs, and he still doesn't leave your side,"_ and that sounded like Hilary. Kenny's mic must have picked up on the girls talking instead of the noises from the beydish, because he was closer to where they had been sitting. Kai was about to turn the volume down again, aware that Anastasia was sitting next to him, but Hilary's next words made him freeze _. "Plus, it's not just the smiling. The whole going to America thing? He wouldn't do that for anyone else."_

Kai stiffened. Hilary was definitely talking about him; she used the same sarcastic tone when she talked about Tala doing something stupid too. But could she be talking about Tala? And why was she talking to Anastasia about going to America? And _smiling?_ He was completely confused. His eyes flickered to the side immediately – there was no way Anastasia hadn't heard that. Was she going to say anything? Would _he_ have to say anything? Would she even acknowledge it? She hadn't moved in a while. Kai frowned and turned his head to look at her properly.

What he saw made him let out a deep breath he hadn't realize he had been holding. There was no need to worry. Anastasia's phone was still in her hand and the screen was lit up, but her head was lolling against his shoulder loosely. She was asleep. As he shifted, her head moved slightly, and Kai held his breath. But she merely mumbled and readjusted her position, hugging his arm like a pillow. He knew she thought he was only letting her sit so close to him because she was upset. She didn't need to know his skin burned every time she touched him, even though her hands were always cold. He didn't want her to wake up suddenly and cringe away from him when she realized what he had heard. What had Hilary said to her?

Kai turned back to the video, turning down the volume just enough to be able to hear their conversation. He didn't want Anastasia to wake up from the noise, and he wasn't watching the battle anymore. The girls were still talking, barely audible over the noise, but he managed to catch Hilary's sigh of annoyance in between Tyson's yells, and her voice was clearer when she spoke again. _"Tala said you were dense about this, but I didn't realize how bad it was. Do you have no woman's intuition? He_ likes _you!"_

Anastasia sounded completely uninterested when she replied. _"I'm sure he doesn't, but even if he did he's clearly not going to do anything about it, is he?"_

Kai frowned. Was that what she thought? That he didn't like her? The rest of it was true – he had no plans to do anything about it, not really. Offering her comfort and the odd hug didn't count, and just because his chest ached if he knew she was in trouble and he wasn't there didn't mean anything. The whole conversation annoyed him – Anastasia would have to be an idiot to not realize that Kai had feelings for her by now, but nothing in the past few minutes of eavesdropping had told him anything about how _she_ felt.

Kai knew he should go – it was almost seven, and he had told the team they would be training that morning. But Anastasia was still asleep, and she was still using his shoulder as a pillow. He _should_ go, but he already knew he wouldn't. It was easiest to spend time with her when she was asleep. He didn't have to worry that she would notice him staring or smiling at her. She didn't need to know what she did to him. Kai had no doubt that if she did know, he wouldn't be able to hold back.

Sighing, he nudged her to the side gently and lay down, throwing his free arm over his eyes. If she wanted to use him as a pillow, he could use her bed for a nap.


	17. Chapter 17

"You _slept_ together?

"Hilary!" Anastasia glared as she looked around the store, pausing to glare at a curious looking sales-girl before dragging her friend into the empty dressing-room.

"Sorry!" Hilary grimaced. And then she grinned. "So you did?"

Anastasia rolled her eyes. They were in the mall together, Hilary having texted Anastasia and demanded to meet her so they could go dress shopping for Tala's party. Kai had dropped her off willingly enough, but Hilary had insisted she could drive Anastasia home, so he had left. Anastasia hadn't had much of a say in the matter. She had still been asleep – in Kai's arms – when her phone rang, so she hadn't had time to make up an excuse when she picked up and Hilary yelled at her for napping in the middle of the day.

Kai had already been awake when her eyes had opened, and she had seen him looking at her phone screen just before her phone rang, but he hadn't seemed annoyed at having to take her to the mall. He hadn't even seemed awkward at the way they had fallen asleep. He had merely grunted something unintelligible and turned over, waving a hand at her to get up. Anastasia had understood he wanted to sleep some more, and had ruffled his hair playfully on her way to the bathroom. And that was it.

"We slept in the same bed, nothing happened," Anastasia hissed. "And I didn't tell you so you could announce it to the whole store!"

"No, you told me because you like him," said Hilary smugly. "What are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know," Anastasia ran a hand through her hair in frustration. "He's Kai. I can't just tell him, and I can't _do_ anything. Half the time I think he likes me back and the other half I think he wants to punch me."

"It's probably both," Hilary shrugged. "You're right. He's Kai. Who knows what he's thinking?"

"You're not helping."

"You should try and get him to come clean to you. At Tala's party," she added, when Anastasia looked confused. "Make sure alcohol is involved too."

"You want me to get him drunk and then tell him I have a crush on him?" asked Anastasia. She was both confused and amused.

Hilary shook her head, her tone deadly serious. "No, get him drunk so he tells _you_ he has a crush on you."

"And what if he doesn't have a crush on me?"

"He totally does."

"But what if he doesn't tell me that?"

"There are no what ifs," Hilary rolled her eyes and practically dragged Anastasia to the changing-rooms, at least ten hangers of clothes in her hands. "I have a sixth sense, even if you don't, okay? He likes you."

"Sixth sense?" Anastasia snorted. "So you're totally aware that Tyson has the hots for you, then?"

Hilary turned red. "He does not!"

"Not so easy when it's _you,_ is it?" taunted Anastasia. She took two of the hangers and went into the stall, peeking over the top to smirk at Hilary's expression. "Don't worry, I can keep a secret. Though I suppose I should warn you, _everyone_ knows except you. And maybe him."

"It's different for us," said Hilary, collecting herself quickly. She went into the stall next to Anastasia's, and they continued their conversation easily. "We've known each other for years, and we still have time. You're only here until Dranzer is fixed, and since everyone keeps going on and on about how good you are, _you_ don't have a lot of time."

"Yeah, but is that fair?" Anastasia sighed and looked in the mirror dolefully. The dress was pretty, but it was too big for her – she proceeded to take it off and tried on the other one. "I don't think Kai is into long-distance. Honestly, Hilary, I don't even think he's into having a relationship."

"Is that what you want?"

"Well, yeah," Anastasia shrugged to herself. "I mean, I don't know if I want to marry the guy or if I'm in love with him, but I'd like to see if we can get to that stage. Someday. Maybe," she grimaced. "He'd freak out so badly if I said these things to him, wouldn't he?"

"That's why you need alcohol," said Hilary in a sing-song voice. "Also, try this one on!" she threw a dress over the top of the stall, and Anastasia caught him with the tips of her fingers. She raised an eyebrow at it, and heard Hilary laugh. "I picked it up for you anyway. Kai's going to lose his mind."

"Alcohol, a nice dress, and a bunch of unwanted emotions," said Anastasia as she held the dress against herself musingly. "Are you trying to make me kill him, Hilary?"

"Nah, we'd miss him too much if you did," without invitation, Hilary strolled out of her own stall and into Anastasia's, dressed in a bright red dress. Anastasia's eyebrows shot up. The dress had a lace bodice, with a halter neck and organza tulle making up a full skirt that ended just above her knees. Hilary was still wearing her white trainers, but Anastasia had no doubt the brunette would have a pair of killer heels to go with the dress. Smiling, she gave her a thumbs up. Hilary smirked, and then frowned. "You haven't tried yours on yet!"

"I don't need to," Anastasia smirked back. "How'd you know green was my color?"

Hilary laughed.

 **!**

"I'm going to kill him."

Alice looked up from her coffee mug warily. "Anna, don't say that."

"Don't say that?" Anastasia turned to her, her face aghast. "Do you realize what he's done?"

"I do, but he probably doesn't. You can't kill him."

Anastasia dropped her shopping bags on the floor and kicked off her shoes – she had barely walked into the door when Alice had given her the news. "Watch me!" she declared.

Alice sighed. "Anna, it's _okay._ "

" _Why_ are you taking his side?"demanded Anastasia. "We're not in kindergarten, this isn't funny!"

"Honestly, because he's right. And I don't think he meant it to be funny," Alice winced and picked up the magazine she had been reading, which Anastasia had snatched out of her hands when she had off-handedly mentioned the article to her. "I think he was pretty serious."

"Then he better have a good reason for it," snarled Anastasia, reading for her phone. Alice tried to soothe her, but it was no use. Anastasia was already searching for a name in her contacts, her face pulled into a scowl. She held the phone against her ear and then put it down a few seconds later, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "He didn't pick up."

"He's probably training, Anna. Maybe you should –" but Anastasia was already dialing another number.

"Hilary," she hissed. Alice watched in morbid fascination as the person on the other line said something, but Anastasia's expression didn't clear. "I know you didn't know anything about it. Where is he?" another pause. "Does he know I'm looking for him?" Alice heard a loud voice from the other end, and gulped at Anastasia's expression. "He knows I'm going to kill him, right?"

Alice jumped a foot in the air when her cellphone suddenly began ringing, and she glanced at the screen warily. The name that flashed across it made her try to get Anastasia's attention, but her room-mate was too busy detailing the ways she would castrate the person who had decided to include an entire section on Kai and Anastasia's non-existent relationship in an exclusive interview with a local sports magazine.

"Hello?" asked Alice, holding the phone to her ear. She nudged Anastasia again, but was still ignored.

" _Alice,"_ Kai breathed a sigh of relief. _"Where is she?"_

"She's right in front of me," assured Alice quickly. "She's talking to Hilary about how she's going to chop up Tala into tiny little pieces."

Kai swore. _"She's already seen it? Will she talk to me?"_

"Probably. If she shuts up," Alice rolled her eyes and pinched Anastasia's arm. Her friend yelped, and she held out the phone pointedly. "It's Kai," she said. Anastasia's face paled. "Talk to him," insisted Alice. She shoved the phone at her and got up, leaving the room with her magazine to finish her coffee in peace.

Anastasia hung up her own phone and took a deep breath before reaching for Alice's. "Hey," she said quietly.

" _I'm sorry,"_ said Kai immediately. _"I didn't know he'd do that. I just called Mr. Dickinson, and our publicist said she'd get a statement out by tonight."_

Anastasia sighed. "It's not your fault, Kai, you don't have to apologize."

" _He's my friend, Anna."_

"And unfortunately, he's mine too," Anastasia ran a hand through her hair. She was calmer now – whether that was the effect that Kai's voice had on her or perhaps just the vivid way she had detailed to Hilary how she would murder Tala, she wasn't sure. "Look, he did it because he knew we'd let him get away with it. It's fine."

" _I can punch him."_

Anastasia snorted. "No, _I'll_ punch him. Is he with you right now?"

" _He went out."_

"He didn't pick up my calls."

" _He left his phone here, apparently he said he knew you could use it to track him if you wanted to."_

Anastasia huffed. "I'm a technician, not the CIA."

Kai grunted out a laugh. Anastasia sat back down on the sofa and stared at her shoes. She heard Kai walking – the slight echo of his footsteps told her he was inside somewhere, and she was suddenly transported back to a few weeks ago while she had been in America, when this was exactly how her mornings would go. She would sit at home, in her room, and listen to the outside world through her phone as Kai carried on with his day, usually not even speaking to her, but he didn't need to. Something about knowing he was on the other line and listening was oddly comforting.

"Did you finish watching the battle?" she asked suddenly.

" _What?"_ he sounded confused, and slightly distracted. She heard a door slam.

"The video you were watching this morning," reminded Anastasia. "Did you finish it? You were asleep when I woke up."

" _Yeah, I finished it,"_ said Kai.

Anastasia frowned at the strange edge to his voice. "Well, what did you think? It's good, right? The beyblade?"

" _It's great, Anna."_

"You don't sound like it's great."

" _I'm tired. You talk in your sleep."_

Anastasia's eyes widened. "What did you just say?"

" _I fell asleep next to you, I heard you talking,"_ said Kai dryly. _"What the hell do you dream about?"_

Last night she had dreamt Kai had confessed he was in love with her and begged her to stay with him in Japan. Anastasia was willing to attribute it solely to the fact that falling asleep in his arms had been a horrible idea and she was allowed to have a weird dream because of it, and it would never happen again. She cringed. "I don't remember what I dreamed about. Why? What did I say?"

" _If you don't remember then it won't make sense,"_ Kai sounded smug.

Anastasia turned red, even though he wasn't here to see it. "What did I say, Kai?"

" _It doesn't matter,"_ he said dismissively. _"Do you still want to kill Tala? He's right in front of me."_

Anastasia felt a twinge of annoyance. "Can I talk to him?"

There was a rustle, a loud voice protesting, and then something that sounded like a yelp. And then Tala spoke. _"Hello, gorgeous."_

"Save it," Anastasia snapped. "Is he gone?"

" _Yes, I'm alone, if that's what you're wondering,"_ Tala didn't sound nearly as afraid as Anastasia wanted him to be. _"How was your morning? Sleep okay?"_

Anastasia ignored him. "What the hell, Tala? You don't get to make decisions like that for me!"

" _Okay, I know this won't help but I totally have a defense for this,"_ said Tala quickly. _"I did that interview right after we came to see you in America, okay? It wasn't supposed to come out yet, and I thought you guys would already be together by now. I was giving you a head start on the press!"_

"You were being an attention-seeker," corrected Anastasia, but she was smiling a little despite herself. The excuse was so classic Tala that she couldn't bring herself to be angry. "And you know this could have worked out horribly. I don't want him to hate me."

Tala snorted. _"Yeah, no chance of that, sweetheart. You want to know what he said to me when he found out? He said he didn't give a crap about what I said about him, but if he went over and you were crying again, he'd punch my teeth in. Now, Kai's a violent person by nature, but I'm pretty sure he'd have punched me anyway if Ray hadn't held him down."_

Anastasia rolled her eyes. "That doesn't mean anything. I've cried in front of him way too many times already."

" _Hey, I won't judge if you guys are into that kind of stuff."_

"Tala!"

" _Sorry,"_ he didn't sound sorry. _"Look, it was a mistake, and anyway it's not that bad. I know you don't want to become known as his girl or whatever, but this is all good publicity. Read the article from that point of view and just relax, okay?"_

Anastasia sighed. "You owe me for not killing you."

" _You don't have to get me a birthday present and you can bring your cute room-mate to my party next week, how's that?"_

She smiled. "Deal. Now go away."

" _Love you too!"_

Anastasia hung up and glanced down at her blank screen. Biting her lip, she opened up a browser and pulled up the magazine's website. She didn't have to scroll for too long to find the article; it was trending.

She skimmed the first few paragraphs where Tala talked about himself and preened under the interviewers questions, and quickly zeroed in on the part of the article that had annoyed her so much in the first place.

 _Interviewer: So, we know you're friends with Kai Hiwatari, and we know you've opted out of participating in the next World Championship Tournament coming up, but he hasn't. What brought about that decision?_

 _Tala: Look, I've done my time, I've been in a few battles, and I'm ready to step back and let some other kid take the title. My team and I were the Russian Champions for years, and I know my way around a beydish pretty well. Kai's different: he's more ambitious, he's had a few tough years with BEGA and the mess with his grandfather, so he's looking forward to a year where he can solely focus on the sport. He's been spending the last few weeks amping up Dranzer and I've been training with him, so I know he's more than ready for a challenge._

 _Interviewer: Speaking of which, what do you know about his elusive technician, Anastasia Nikol? We've heard some rumors going round, but neither of them are addressing them yet._

 _Tala: I don't know what to tell you about the rumors. Anna's great, Kai's hard to get along with and she's pretty out there, but we're all good friends now. She's amazing at what she does, I have to say. The BladeBreakers have a great technician themselves, but she just_ knows _beyblades, you know? And it helps that she has a really strong connection with Kai, they clicked almost instantly. I don't think he'd be willing to put Dranzer into anyone's hands except hers._

 _Interviewer: So you're saying they're just friends?_

 _Tala: Oh, I'm not saying anything like that. Kai's my buddy, and Anna's grown on me, y'know? I'm just saying I'd be more than happy if something were to happen between them. You only have to be in their company for a few minutes to know there's definitely something there. I don't know if that's just because they work well together or if it's more than that, I can't comment on that._

The rest of the interview was more nonsense; Tala really did love talking about himself. Anastasia shook her head, even as her eyes lingered on a particular sentence.

… _it helps that she has a really strong connection with Kai, they clicked almost instantly. I don't think he'd be willing to put Dranzer into anyone's hands except hers._


	18. Chapter 18

"You look like you're in pain."

Kai grimaced. "I am."

Ray laughed, looking around at the multitude of people in Kai's extensive drawing-room – converted into one large room with minimal furniture, flashing lights, a DJ and a bar – and shook his head. Kai had barely moved from the bar since the party had started over an hour ago, and it hadn't taken Ray long to find him. "How'd Tala talk you into doing this?"

"I don't mind the party, Ray, I mind the _people."_

"You're saying that because Anastasia isn't here yet," teased Ray. Kai scowled at him, and he laughed again. "Why didn't you just pick her up? That's what you do every day."

"Her room-mate can drive," said Kai, a little sullen. "And I don't do it all the time."

"You'd spend every second with her if you could."

"You looking to get punched, Kon?"

"Hey, at least I don't talk about your relationship to every magazine that calls."

Kai rolled his eyes. "Tala did it on purpose."

"You should just tell her," Ray downed his glass in one and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "You'll feel better, trust me."

"So long-distance doesn't make you go crazy?" asked Kai pointedly.

Ray's face fell slightly, but he still looked cheerful. "You make it work if it's worth it," he said simply. And then he smirked. "Tala invited her."

"And she doesn't have a full-time job so she actually came."

"You don't want to date Anastasia because of the long-distance or because you won't get to see her all the time?"

"They're the same thing," Kai motioned to the bartender for another drink and gave Ray a look. "I've seen the way she is, Ray. She can't do long-distance, even if I can."

Ray accepted the drink Kai offered him and looked thoughtful. "You shouldn't be making decisions for Anastasia, Kai, I don't think she'd like that."

"She doesn't know any better," said Kai dismissively.

"Nah, man, I think she knows you pretty well," Ray was looking towards the door now, and he was smirking. "She's here."

Kai followed his gaze immediately. Anastasia was standing by the door, and in any normal circumstance, and if she was someone else, Kai wouldn't have wasted any time in going up to her. Strands of her dark hair were pulled away from her face, a style he particularly liked because it made her eyes stand out, and he knew that was the case now even from far away. She was wearing heels again, with straps that went halfway up her half and stopped a few inches below her knee, barely brushing the hem of her dress. She wasn't wearing a lot of makeup, she hardly ever did, but it was her dress that caught his eye. The forest green material clung to every curve like it was made for her, and Kai felt his mouth go dry when she flipped her hair over her shoulder, the movement showcasing the back of her dress. Other than two diagonally crossing straps, there was nothing there.

Ray snorted. "Stop drooling. Have you seen who she's been talking to for the last five minutes?"

Kai blinked and snapped out of his daze, focusing on who was standing next to her. immediately, his eyes narrowed. "What the hell?"

 **!**

"I can't believe you scored me an invite to _Tala Ivanov's_ birthday," said Alice in a hushed voice. "Do you think the rest of the BladeBreakers will be here? You know, other than Kai?"

"I hope so," muttered Anastasia to herself. Giving Alice another smile, she picked up a plastic cup from the table near the door and downed it in one. And then winced. "Wow, Hilary wasn't kidding."

"Someone's waving at you!" Alice whisper-yelled. Anastasia gave her friend a look and picked up another cup, turned back and trying to see who Alice had seen. The party was in full swing by now, an hour into the time Tala had stated in his text. Anastasia had decided to be late deliberately, knowing that it would be easier to blend in and bid her time until she was ready to face Kai. It wasn't that she was nervous: it was just that she couldn't remember the last time she had tried so hard to win someone over. It had never been this difficult. But of course, Kai had to be difficult.

It hadn't surprised Anastasia that he had been annoyed when she had texted him and told him she would arrive on her own. What _had_ surprised her that he had called her to tell her off on it.

" _Why do you have to make everything so difficult?"_ he had demanded.

Anastasia had practically scratched her head in confusion. "What are you talking about? The party's at your house, do you really want to come and go twice just to get me?"

" _I told you, I –"_

"I just told Tala I'm coming with Alice, she has a car!" Anastasia had talked over him. "What's your deal, didn't you get enough sleep?"

Kai had grumbled something unintelligible and had hung up on her, which had left Anastasia utterly confused and slightly annoyed. Of course, he had sent her a picture of Tala stocking up the bar a few hours later, a devilish smirk on his face and at least four bottles of Vodka in his arms. It didn't take a genius to figure out all the alcohol that would be provided would be expensive. Kai had the money, she knew that, and she knew his message was a peace offering. It was as close to an apology as she'd ever get with Kai, and she'd learned to accept that.

What she couldn't accept, however, was the smirking redhead making his way towards them. It wasn't Tala, but Anastasia knew who it was immediately. She rolled her eyes. "Hello, Johnny."

"Anastasia Nikol," he practically purred, pulling her in for a hug and a kiss that she dodged expertly. She had dealt with Johnny McGregor before, and no matter how many times she made it clear she wasn't interested, he didn't seem to understand. They ran into each other at tournaments all the time, and he had tried more than once to hire her as a personal technician, but until Mr. Dickinson had approached her for Kai, Anastasia had always refused to work for a single beyblader, preferring to work for a whole team. But Johnny was a good beyblader, one of the best she'd seen, so she let him attempt to woo her because it was hilarious to watch.

"Watch your hands," she said, her tone light, but she made a point to dig her nails into his arm as she pried it away from her waist.

Johnny merely smirked. "What, afraid your boyfriend won't like it?" he waggled his eyebrows suggestively. "You know I've beaten him before."

"There is no boyfriend, I don't need to be committed to want your hands off me," Anastasia said in a bored voice. Alice had run away at some point, and Anastasia raked her eyes through the crowd to locate her friend. "But if you're talking about Kai, I seem to remember that you two are tied right now."

Johnny's smile slid off his face and he scowled. "Beginner's luck."

"He's not a beginner," Anastasia tried not to laugh at his growing annoyance, and couldn't resist teasing him a bit more. "He's very, _very_ experienced, I can assure you."

Johnny narrowed his eyes and took a step closer to her, grabbing her arm as he did so. Anastasia didn't even flinch. "You always said you'd never work for just anyone," he growled. "What made you change your mind about _him?"_

Anastasia yanked her arm out of his grip, and he let her. He hadn't even held her that hard: Johnny may look tough, and he liked to intimidate, but she knew he'd never hurt her. He was too old-fashioned for that. Besides, Robert would probably kill him; she was glad she had stayed on good terms with at least one of the Majestics. "I did it as a favour to Mr. Dickinson, and then stuck around because I wanted to," she side-stepped him, and spotted a familiar figure coming towards her. The expression on his face made her slightly wary. "Speaking of which."

Johnny turned around and followed her gaze, his scowl deepening. "Kai," he greeted, his tone icy. "Nice to see you."

"Johnny," Kai didn't even try to be polite. His eyes lingered on Anastasia, and then went back to Johnny. "How are you?" Anastasia was sure she wasn't imagining the edge in his voice.

She rolled her eyes. "Back off, boys. You can have a pissing contest later. Johnny, go get a drink and tell Robert I'm looking for him," when Johnny didn't look at her, his eyes still fixed on Kai, she stepped on his foot. He yelped. "Go. Now."

Grumbling, Johnny walked away, and Anastasia turned to face Kai, hands on her hips. She was ready to scold him for trying to be her knight in shining armour and remind him that she didn't need protection, but her words died on her lips. He was looking at her, and _damn_ it felt good. It helped that he looked absolutely delicious, in a black button-down that she was sure was silk, and acid-wash jeans. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, giving her a nice eyeful of toned, muscular arms. She wasn't imagining the way his eyes lingered on her body either, even as he tried to refocus on her face. She quirked an eyebrow. "See something you like?"

"I always do," replied Kai. Anastasia blinked, completely thrown off by his reply, and he smirked in response. "What?" he asked, innocently.

Anastasia shook her head and tried to smile, but she could feel her cheeks burn and her pulse was racing. Maybe the pretty dress and alcohol combination had been a bad idea…

"I like the dress," was she imagining it, or was he suddenly standing much closer to her than he had been a few seconds ago? She practically jumped out of her skin when she felt his hand touch her back, the contact making her skin burn. "Is it new?"

 _How_ was his tone so casual right now? Anastasia felt dizzy, and fixed her eyes on the buttons of his shirt, trying not to let his scent overpower her. She cleared her throat and finally, when she had collected herself, looked up to meet his gaze. What she saw made her smile, slowly, slyly. Oh, he could _pretend_ that this was a casual conversation, he could even sound like they were talking about the weather, but his expression told a completely different story. Kai's eyes were normally cold and uninterested, and even when he was being nice to her he normally avoided looking at her. _Now,_ however, he looked like he was trying very hard not to kiss her. Anastasia wasn't an idiot. She knew desire when she saw it. Maybe Hilary had been right after all.

"Oh, this old thing?" she asked innocently. "I don't even remember."

Kai hummed in response. Anastasia barely heard him. His eyes were hypnotic, drawing her in much more and much sooner than she had planned. A part of her wanted to throw caution to the wind and yank him forwards by the collar of his shirt and kiss him senseless, but another part of her was hesitant. Just because he found her attractive didn't mean he liked her in _that_ way. She couldn't take that risk… could she?

Anastasia didn't get to decide. At that moment, Tala spotted them and began to approach, and Anastasia caught his eye from over Kai's shoulder. It took him a few seconds to spot the way they were standing, but when he did he began to back away, a grin on his face. But Kai had noticed her looking away, and he turned to see him as well. Anastasia glared at Tala and gestured for him to come forwards now, which he did. Anastasia was ready to kill him, but a familiar head of purple hair was following him, and that made her smile. "Robert!"

Anastasia could feel Kai's raised eyebrows as he took a step back from her. But she also noticed that, while his hand did move from her back, he didn't let her go completely. She knew why when she saw that Johnny was trailing behind them, and his eyes were fixed on the way they were standing. Kai was holding her waist now, almost casually, but Kai never did _anything_ casually. The possessiveness annoyed her, but not enough to ask him to stop. Instead, Anastasia acted like she hadn't noticed and kept smiling.

"I had a feeling I'd find you here," smiling, Robert Jürgens offered her his hand, even as Anastasia rolled her eyes and gave him a hug. He politely touched her waist lightly, and then dropped his hands. "I apologize for Johnny, once again. He knows he's got no chance, it just takes him a while to remember it."

Johnny grumbled and folded his arms across his chest, his scowl darkening at the smile Anastasia was giving Robert. Tala chuckled and turned to Kai, talking to him quietly She ignored them all and focused on Robert's polite smile. "I didn't know you'd all be here," she confessed. "Is Oliver here too? And Enrique?"

"You don't have to be friends with Tala to get invited to one of these," shrugged Robert. "We thought we should at least experience one of his parties. They're around here somewhere, they'll be pleased to see you again."

"I'm dying to see them again, it's been so long," said Anastasia. Kai's hand was still on her waist, she could feel his touch burning her skin even through the fabric of her dress. It was getting very hard to ignore him. "When did you guys get here? You should have called me!"

"I confess I didn't now you'd be here until Johnny picked up a magazine at the airport," admitted Robert. Anastasia saw his eyes flicker between her and Kai, and the obvious closeness displayed there. He politely didn't ask any questions, because he was Robert and he had the manners of another century, but Johnny didn't.

"Yeah, we saw that article. Are you two dating or not?" he asked bluntly. Anastasia didn't dare to look at Kai, but she felt his grip on her waist tighten.

She sighed, knowing where his line of questioning was going. "It doesn't matter, because the answer is still _no_ , Johnny."

Tala cut off his conversation when he heard her speak and turned to look at the other redhead, raising an eyebrow. "Really, McGregor? Does she need to kick you in the balls before you get that she isn't interested?"

"Tala," warned Anastasia. She knew Johnny's temper. Getting rejected by her was one thing, but he wouldn't take kindly to someone else embarrassing him.

And she was right. Johnny took a step forward until he was practically in Tala's face, sneering. "What're you going to do about it, Ivanov? _You_ want her? Didn't know you and Hiwatari were that close, but I'm not surprised."

Tala's face was thunderous, and he lunged at Johnny, but Anastasia grabbed his arm, using all her strength to hold him back. She wasn't nearly strong enough to succeed, but Tala clearly didn't want to hurt her by pulling away roughly, so he allowed her to hold him back. Before Johnny could retaliate, Robert cut in. "Johnny, shut up," he looked at Anastasia apologetically and grabbed his friend's shoulder. "You've had too much to drink, as usual. Apologize to Anastasia."

Johnny scoffed. "Yeah, right. I'm going."

He turned and walked away, and Anastasia breathed a sigh of relief. Robert apologized and promised he'd be back soon as he followed his team-mate, no doubt to make sure he didn't do anything stupid.

Anastasia waited until they were out of sight, and then turned to Tala and smacked his chest. "You don't get to start fights at your own party!" she scolded. "What were you going to do, punch him?"

"Break his jaw, probably," grumbled Tala. "How d'you know him anyway? And what the hell did you do, hypnotize the guy or something?"

"He's been trying to _hire_ me for years, you idiot, he only flirts with me because he thinks that's the way to do it," Anastasia rolled her eyes. "I can handle him, I've been saying no since we first met. He's probably just annoyed because I'm working for Kai now."

"Speaking of Kai," Tala narrowed his eyes and looked around. "Where the hell did he go? Why did I have to defend your honour when _he_ should have been doing it?"

"What do you mean where…" Anastasia trailed off when she realized that Tala was right – Kai was gone. She frowned. He had definitely been standing next to her when Johnny and Robert had arrived. Had he left before he had heard Johnny say those things? She hoped he had. "He probably just –" a loud crash interrupted her, and her eyes widened slightly when she heard the tell-tale sounds of a fight coming from the next room. A few people looked around in confusion, but no one paid it much attention. From across the room, Anastasia saw Ray suddenly get up from next to a pink-haired girl and head towards a door next to the bar, quickly followed by Tyson and Oliver, another one of the Majestics. She saw a girl in a red dress follow them, and realized it was probably Hilary, whom she hadn't seen yet. Anastasia grabbed Tala's arm before he could follow. "Kai wouldn't do something stupid, right?" she asked, a desperate tinge to her voice.

Tala gave her an unintelligible look. "For you? He would."


	19. Chapter 19

Kai narrowed his eyes and followed Johnny towards the bar, taking care to stick to the shadows caused by the flashing lights and moving bodies around the room. He had seen Tala lunge for him when he had insulted Anastasia, and he had also seen her hold him back, dismissing Johnny's words as if she was used to them. To say that it had made him angry was an understatement, and even now he could feel his pulse thundering, the sound of blood rushing into his ears giving him tunnel-vision. Kai hadn't said anything then, because he knew Anastasia wouldn't like it or appreciate it – she had made it clear often enough that she didn't need protecting – but he wasn't going to sit by and do nothing.

It was completely uncharacteristic of him to do this, Kai knew that. He had never bothered with a girl this much before. Hilary was the closest thing he had to a female friend, and he had never felt the instinct to punch a guy who looked at her the wrong way. He'd do it, of course, because they were friends and he did care about his friends in his own way, but this wasn't about friendship. It was about a primal urge to get his hands dirty because someone had dared to even _think_ wrong about the girl he was falling for, hard and fast.

Kai didn't feel guilty. Johnny McGregor was a pain in the ass anyway.

He got his chance when Robert broke away from his friend, heading towards Lee and the rest of the White Tigers while Johnny went to the bar. Kai knew Ray had seen him tailing Johnny, the neko-jin's eyes were sharp, but he didn't dwell on it. Ray knew when to back off, and he had been doing a much better job than Tala had at handling his friendship with Anastasia. Johnny was by the edge of the bar now, and there was a door right next to it that was wide open, leading into an empty hallway. Kai moved out of the shadows and walked past, reaching out and grabbing Johnny by the back of his shirt. Surprise gave him an advantage, and he was able to throw the redhead out of the room without anyone noticing.

"What the hell, Hiwatari?" Johnny kept himself from falling and turned to glare at Kai, rubbing the skin of his neck angrily.

Kai closed the door behind him and kept his tone even. "I didn't hear you apologize back there."

Johnny blinked in confusion, and then his glare deepened. "Is this about Anastasia? You –"

But Kai had already grabbed him by the collar and pushed him up against the door, his eyes glinting dangerously. "Don't say her name," he snarled. "You've said enough shit, McGregor, don't make me knock you out."

Johnny clawed at his hands, but Kai was taller than him, even if they were equally matched, so he couldn't get him off. Plus, Johnny was drunk, and his reflexes were slow. "What, you couldn't fight me in front of her?" gasped out Johnny. "Afraid you'll lose?"

Kai pretended not to notice him struggling, knowing it would only make Johnny angrier. "I didn't want to upset her. Blood makes her queasy."

"Oh, I bet you know her _so_ well," said Johnny sarcastically. "You can keep her, Hiwatari. She's not my type anyway."

"You mean she's too good for you."

Johnny scoffed. "You in love with her or something? Good thing you dragged me out here then, so she couldn't see me kick your ass."

Kai snorted. Johnny may have beaten him once in a beybattle, but that had been a long time ago, and Kai had gotten his revenge for that. "I don't need people to see me make a fool of myself, Johnny, that's your job," he let him go and Johnny stumbled while trying to get his footing. Kai pushed him back into the wall again, and gave him a warning look. "Stay away from her."

He turned away, leaving Johnny bent over and breathing heavily, but he had barely taken two steps when he felt the air change, and he ducked just as Johnny dove for him. Johnny caught his shoulder and Kai grunted, turning around and landing a square punch to the redhead's jaw. It should have been enough for him to back off, but Johnny clearly didn't know what was good for him.

That suited Kai just fine.

 **!**

"What the hell is going on?"

"Get out of the way, Tyson!"

"Hilary, go back inside!"

"Oliver, grab him!"

"Kai, _get off him!"_

Anastasia wrenched open the door and entered the scene just as Oliver and Tala succeeded in prying the two boys away from each other. Tala had run ahead of her, but her shoes had meant she wasn't able to follow as efficiently. Breathing heavily, she pushed past Hilary and Tyson, who had started arguing in front of the door. The hallway was dark, but her eyes adjusted quickly, and she noted the broken table in the corner. Other than that, there didn't seem to be any damage done. Johnny and Kai were on opposite ends of the narrow passage, and the sounds of heavy breathing told her that the rest of the boys had only just managed to break up the fight. Robert was standing between them, talking to Oliver in a quiet voice as they both looked at their team-mate with annoyance clearly written on their faces. Robert caught her eye as she walked past and gave her an apologetic look, which Anastasia ignored.

Tala and Ray were standing next to Kai a little further on, and Ray saw her approach first. He offered her a small smile, and she saw Tala immediately stopped speaking when he realized she was coming towards them. Kai didn't turn around. She couldn't see his face, but he was rubbing his shoulder as if he was in pain. Anastasia felt fear grip her. Forgetting everything else, she grabbed his arm and forced him to turn around, her fingers latching onto his shirt.

Kai's face didn't reassure her as much as she had hoped. His cheek was bruised and his lip was split open, but other than that he seemed perfectly fine. Johnny's face had looked like mincemeat. Kai had obviously gotten in more hits than the redhead had.

Anastasia expelled a small sigh of relief, and then glared at Kai. "What was that for?" she demanded.

"I felt like it," said Kai expressionlessly.

The fear melted into anger immediately. Was he _still_ going to be casual, after very clearly starting a fight with the boy who had hit on her and then insulted her in the same breath? If this was his way of expressing his feelings for her, or even of denying them, it was a stupid move. He had to be an idiot. Unable to communicate exactly how annoyed she was with him, Anastasia used the oldest trick in the book.

She slapped him. Hard.

The momentum made Kai's face snap to the side, and he didn't look at her as he rubbed the spot where she had hit him, almost absently. It only served to made Anastasia angrier: why could he _never_ react the way she expected him to? "Next time you feel like it, get a punching bag," she hissed. "Preferably one that doesn't hit back!"

Kai caught her hand before she could lower it, and her fingers slipped into the spaces between his easily. Anastasia faltered. Something in his eyes told her that he had seen right through her. He had seen the fear and the anger and the _confusion,_ and he knew exactly why she had slapped him, and he didn't care that she had. Judging from the way Tala was standing at the back, he seemed to be expecting Kai to punch Anastasia next. The thought made her anger diminish slightly, and she squeezed his hand. "I don't understand you sometimes," she confessed quietly.

She doubted he would respond. He was still looking at her with that indecipherable expression that annoyed her, but his hand was warm and steady like it always was, and that was oddly comforting. Sighing, Anastasia turned away and made a face at Ray, who laughed.

With the tension broken, suddenly there was movement everywhere. Johnny had been hoisted up by Robert and was being escorted out, Oliver was trying to break up Tyson and Hilary's argument, and the door leading back to the party had opened, with a few curious onlookers trying to see what was going on. Tala chuckled and walked past Anastasia and Kai, patting his friend on the back soundly. Kai winced at that, and Anastasia narrowed her eyes. And then Ray winked at her and poked Kai in the ribs as he followed, which made Kai grunt and Anastasia scowl.

"You're hurt," she noted.

"How'd you guess?" asked Kai sarcastically. Anastasia ignored him and pressed two fingers against his ribs. Kai didn't flinch, but his eyes flashed with annoyance. That was as close to an admission of pain as she was going to get.

"Come on," Anastasia tugged at his hand. "Let's get you some ice. Kitchen?"

Kai guided her down the corridor wordlessly, and Anastasia was too focused on the fact that he seemed to be leaning on her arm to look around her as they ventured through the house. In contrast to the dark rooms she had just seen, the kitchen was bright and open, with a white marble island and matching barstools. There were a few people loitering inside, clearly hovering over the crates of alcohol, but Anastasia glared at them and they quickly left, which made Kai grunt out a laugh. Ignoring him, she indicated a barstool and opened the freezer, pulling out the bag of ice she knew would be inside. In the drawers by the oven, she found some dishtowels and took them out as well.

When she turned around, Kai was rubbing his jaw. The gesture may have looked absent, but Anastasia wasn't fooled. "You're going to have to stop being superman and tell me where it hurts."

"I'm fine."

"You're not fine, or else you'd have told me back there that you didn't want to leave," Anastasia sighed. She put the ice on the island and sat on the barstool next to him, tilting Kai's face gently towards hers. His eyes were boring into her relentlessly. Trying to ignore them, she took out a few cubes of ice and wrapped them in a dishtowel, pressing the makeshift icepack against his cheek. Kai didn't move away, but his eyes did close, and Anastasia was finally able to focus on something else.

It only took her a few moments to voice her next thought. "You need to take off your shirt."

Kai's eyes opened and he raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to take advantage of me?"

"No, if I wanted to seduce you I'd pick a better time, trust me," to make her point clear, she poked him in the ribs. Caught off guard, Kai winced, and she smiled triumphantly. "I knew it. Strip, or I'm taking you to the hospital."

Kai rolled his eyes and began to unbutton his shirt. "Since when are you a nurse?"

"You are probably the only guy in history who complains when a pretty girl is trying to take care of you," Anastasia packed some more ice into a dishtowel and inspected Kai's chest, trying not to gawk or blush. It wasn't hard. Even though he was clearly very well-built, there was already bruising on his ribs and she spotted some more discolorations on his shoulder blade as well.

"I'm not complaining," pointed out Kai. Anastasia smiled slightly and gingerly pressed the ice against his ribs, indicating for him to move slightly so she could see his back. Kai didn't move. "I told you I'm fine."

"Humour me."

Kai made a face, muttering something about how he had tried to warn her, which confused Anastasia until he took the ice from her hands and turned around slightly, allowing her to just barely see his shoulder. Anastasia rolled her eyes, grabbing his arm and twisting him on the stool so she could see his back fully. The sight made her eyes widen.

Kai's back was _horrible._ Anastasia had admired his broad shoulders more than once, noting the way his back muscles flexed under his shirt while training, but she had never seen him without one. Now, she realized why. Jagged scars ran across the pale flesh, crossing over each other randomly. There was hardly a spot that was free of marks; harsh lines that had grown white with age and without proper care. Most of them looked like they had healed over years ago, and the thought made Anastasia feel slightly sick: how long ago had all of this happened? The bruise on his shoulder seemed insignificant compared to what she saw now.

"Hey, calm down," his voice was quiet, only wary of _her_ expression and _her_ reaction, she could tell immediately. She felt his fingers touch her hand, easing the grip she had on his shoulder and lacing their fingers together again. Her vice-like hold on his arm had been the only indication that she was horrified, and without it she was trying hard to school her expression, even as he watched her silently. His grip was still firm, and steady as ever. It made her blink rapidly, and tear her gaze away from his back to his face, which was impassive.

She didn't know what to say. Kai had never been vulnerable in front of her, and despite his indifferent expression she knew that was exactly what this was: vulnerability. He didn't have to show her his scars, and his half-hearted attempt at hiding them told her that he didn't really care if she did see them. It was so different from a week ago, when he had let her tease him about taking his shirt off, never once voicing or even hinting that there was a more serious reason he never did it.

And he was asking _her_ to calm down. Of course he was. He probably thought she had the worst nerves in the world, judging by the amount of times she had lost her cool in front of him. And he wouldn't appreciate any tears or pity right now, she knew him better than that. And _he_ knew that too, which was why he had let her see. Clearing her throat, Anastasia blinked a few times and squeezed his hand, forcing herself to let him go and hand him back his shirt. "Your shoulder is fine," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. It was hard. Her hands were shaking slightly. Quickly, she packed more ice into a towel and turned to face him, holding it up and trying to smile. "I forgot about your lip. Pucker up."

She knew she wasn't imagining the look of relief on Kai's face. Unsurprisingly, he stopped talking after that, and Anastasia was able to distract herself by cleaning the dried blood off his face, and trying to keep her staring subtle as she held the ice against his lips. For a while, it worked, and it wasn't until Tala walked into the kitchen that she realized Kai had been staring right back at her.

"Is he okay?" asked Tala, sounding faintly concerned. Not realizing he was interrupting anything – maybe because there wasn't anything to interrupt, Anastasia realized belatedly – he leapt up onto the marble island and examined Kai's face. "Ouch."

"Thanks," grunted Kai. He took the ice from Anastasia gently, holding it against his mouth, leaving her hands free to fiddle with the hem of her dress. She gave him a questioning look, and his eyes softened slightly, lingering on her hands. He wanted to hold her hand again, she recognized, and the sudden realization threw her into internal turmoil.

Tala didn't notice the silent exchange. "I sent Johnny home, so you can come back now, Anna. _If_ Kai doesn't have a problem with other guys hitting on you," he added pointedly.

Anastasia replied automatically, her conflicting feelings momentarily forgotten. "That had nothing to do with it, Tala."

Tala snorted. "Yeah, _okay._ Do you want to come back, or is this a joint decision?" he looked at Kai, who merely shrugged. Tala groaned. "Just find me if you do, okay? Anna, your room-mate's with me," he winked, and Anastasia frowned at him, opening her mouth to retort, but he was already gone.

"Leave it," said Kai quietly. Anastasia raised an eyebrow. He shook his head. "He won't listen to you. Alice will be fine."

"She's star-struck right now," sighed Anastasia. "I don't want him to do anything stupid."

Kai quirked an eyebrow. "He's Tala."

Anastasia half-smiled. "Yeah, okay, fair point."

They lapsed into silence, and Anastasia suddenly realized she had forgotten her cellphone at home. That was a problem. It was her go-to in times of uncomfortable silence, but without it she settled for wringing her hands stressfully, not knowing if it was safe to look at Kai's face, but wanting to anyway because otherwise all she saw was his scarred back.

"You can head back, if you want," said Kai suddenly. Anastasia looked up, and saw that he had put the ice down. His lip was swollen, and would probably swell even more by the time the night was done, but for now it seemed fine.

That didn't mean she wanted to leave him.

"I'd rather stay with you," she said, trying to keep her tone as indifferent as his. It didn't work, because she sounded like she was choking on air. Kai's expression didn't change, but he nodded and stood up, heading to the space hidden behind the island and suddenly disappearing from view. Anastasia stood up and tucked her loose hair behind her ears just as he straightened up. There was something in his hand. She raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Kai shrugged, but there was a hint of a smile on his lips now. "Tala doesn't get to have all the fun," he said. He held the bottle of Vodka in one hand and grabbed another ice-pack off the island. "Come on," he headed towards the door.

"Are we going back to the party?" asked Anastasia.

Kai shook his head. "Just come on," he held out his hand, and she automatically crossed the room to take it. And then she hesitated.

"Wait," said Anastasia suddenly. Kai paused, turning back and looking at her warily. Anastasia bit her lip. "I have to ask, Kai."

"Ask what?"

"You didn't just do it for me, right?" she asked. Her tone sounded desperate, she knew that, but she wasn't sure which answer she was desperate for. "I mean, Tala was obviously wrong. There had to be some other reason you punched Johnny, right?"

Kai was looking at her expressionlessly, and it frustrated her to no end. "Would it make you feel better if I said yes?" he asked finally.

Anastasia inhaled shakily. "I'm not sure which answer would make me feel better," she confessed. "How about the truth?"

Kai almost smiled, the corner of his mouth lifting up in an expression she saw so rarely that for a moment Anastasia was stunned. "When I figure it out, Anna, I'll tell you."

Anastasia hesitated again. She shouldn't do this. If even _he_ didn't know what he was doing, how was it possible that _she_ knew? Wanting to be around him all the time wasn't enough, finding him attractive wasn't enough, even feeling completely safe and content in his presence wasn't enough. She knew only one thing would be enough for her, and that was if Kai admitted he had feelings for her. But he had basically just told her he couldn't do that, not yet anyway. So that meant she would have to wait.

Was she willing to do that?

Anastasia looked up at him from under her lashes. He was still Kai, cold and distant, but his eyes were so soft, so gentle, and so unlike him as they watched her that she knew there was no choice left, not anymore. She was in too deep.

She took his hand. "Let's go."


	20. Chapter 20

"This is _such_ a bad idea."

"You're scared of heights?"

"What gave it away?" hissed Anastasia. Cringing away from the edge, she grabbed hold of a loose tile, keeping her grip firm. "How did I let you talk me into this anyway?"

Kai snorted and took another gulp from the Vodka bottle. He hadn't planned to bring her here, and he hadn't been here himself in a long time, but his feet had automatically led him up the stairs, through the attic and out the small window, onto the sloping, ridged roof of the mansion. Anastasia had followed him wordlessly, though he could tell she was itching to stop and look around the house. She was curious about his childhood, he knew that, but after seeing his scars he was surprised she wasn't tormenting him with questions. Were Hilary and Tala right? Did she really know him that well, that she _knew_ he didn't want to be asked about it?

She probably did know, he reasoned to himself, and it was normal that she knew. They spent a lot of time together, and he did talk to her, more than he could ever remember talking to any other girl he had been interested in. It was just so deceptively easy to open up to Anastasia, with her clear eyes and her inability to judge him for all the horrible things he had done. She was constantly talking and yes, it grated on his nerves sometimes, but at other times he had to admit he _liked_ hearing the sound of her voice. And then he realized, slightly late, that he hadn't heard her speak in a few minutes now.

Kai's eyes snapped to her, seated slightly below him on the slope of the roof. She was looking at the view, which he knew to be impressive from four stories up high. But her hunched figure, slightly dwarfed in the jacket he had slung around her shoulders when they had first stepped outside, was tense, and her left hand was clamped down on a loose tile, her knuckles white with pressure. Kai suppressed a snort. As if he would let her fall.

"Calm down," he said finally. Without waiting for a response, he reached out and tugged her up to his level, wrapping an arm around her waist securely. She was seated between his legs now, and Kai could feel the warmth from her body enveloping him, comforting even though he wasn't cold. But he craved contact with her, he had accepted it now. There was no point trying to deny that, at least. "I won't let you fall, Anna."

"How do I know you won't toss me off this roof if I talk too much?" demanded Anastasia.

Kai felt his lips twitch. "I won't. Too many witnesses."

He knew his words would annoy her. Sure enough, she turned back to look at him, her eyes wide. "Is _that_ the only reason?"

 _No._ He wanted her to understand that without him having to say it, but whether she didn't or she chose not to, he couldn't tell. He sighed, and grudgingly added a "No, it isn't," hoping she'd be satisfied.

She wasn't. "I don't believe you."

"I'd miss you too much if I killed you," he said, and the finality in his tone told her he didn't want to discuss it further.

Fortunately, Anastasia got this hint. She hummed in reply, leaning her head back against his chest. Kai tried not to focus on the fact that the only thing separating him from Anastasia's bare back was his own jacket, and wondered what had possessed him to give it to her in the first place when this whole experience would have been _much_ more enjoyable without it. But suddenly Anastasia let out a small sigh and burrowed further into the garment, cuddling closer to Kai in the process. Warmth spread throughout his body and that, combined with her scent, had the uncanny ability to calm his down immediately. Now he remembered why he had done it. Because he cared too damn much.

Anastasia's soft voice broke into his thoughts. "This is really pretty."

She meant the view. "Yeah, it is." He meant the girl in his arms.

Kai saw the skin at the nape of her neck erupt into goosebumps as he spoke, and he tried not to smirk. It was always gratifying to know how affected she was by him, since she tried so hard to pretend she wasn't. Even now, he could practically feel the electricity buzzing between them, something he had noticed weeks ago, but had never allowed himself to enjoy until earlier that night when he had first seen her talking to Johnny. It was easy, so very easy to get lost in her when they were like this, with no sounds except their breathing and nothing to distract his senses from her.

But it made Anastasia nervous every time. Kai detected the hint of desperation in her tone as she began to speak, clearly wanting the distraction he was trying to avoid. "Why'd you bring me here? The house is massive, we could have gone anywhere."

She always managed to ask the questions he had no answers to. Kai shrugged. "I used to come here a lot."

"As a kid? Why?"

He hesitated, knowing where this conversation could lead. "Voltaire had a key to every room," said Kai finally. "But he couldn't climb the ladder outside the attic window."

"Oh," Anastasia bit her lip. "Sorry, I guess that was a stupid question."

 _Thank you for not asking another one._ "It's okay."

Again, silence. The electricity crackling between what little space there was between their bodies was going to drive them both insane. Kai had almost made up his mind to address it, for the first time, when Anastasia cleared her throat. "So, how's practice going?"

He was caught off-guard at that. "It's going good, I guess. Why?"

"I, uh, thought of a new design I might want to try," stammered Anastasia. "Yeah, I was thinking the defense is working so well for you but the –"

 _Adorable._ "Anna," his amused tone made her shut her mouth immediately. "Why are you talking about work right now?"

And his amusement seemed to annoy her. "Well, what do _you_ want to talk about?"

Kai couldn't stop the soft chuckle that escaped him at her indignant tone. It was easy to hide behind work, for both of them, but he didn't want to. Not tonight, anyway. To make his point clear, he eased her fingers off the tile she had been holding onto for dear life, instead entwining their fingers together. "Not work. What do you want to talk about?"

Anastasia's tone was guarded. "You don't want to talk about what I want to talk about, Kai."

He didn't need ask her what she meant. "Maybe I do."

Anastasia sighed. "No, you really don't, or you would have answered me properly when I asked you in the kitchen."

"Maybe you surprised me," he offered. Some part of his brain told him he shouldn't do it like this, because Anastasia deserved more than a half-assed explanation full of _maybe_ 's and _what if'_ s, but he was tired of waiting. She was too close and too tempting, and he could only resist for so long. "Maybe I have an answer now."

"And maybe I don't want to hear it now," she shot back, her tone irritated. But she didn't move, and she didn't let go of his hand. If anything, she seemed to press back against his chest a little more, as if anchoring herself to him. As if she was afraid he would try to get up and leave. Kai frowned. Is that what she thought he would do? _Leave?_

The idea was laughable. He couldn't leave her. Every time he so much as thought about herimpending departure he always felt like someone had punched him in the stomach, and he immediately felt the unexplainable need to see her, to annoy her or have her annoy him, just to know she was still there. If she were to get up and leave now, he knew it would hurt. Badly.

"Anyway, I have a better question," she continued, and he heard the forced lightness in her tone. She didn't want to talk about it, not yet anyway, and he owed her the courtesy of waiting until she was ready. So Kai merely grunted and squeezed her hand, indicating she could continue. "You seem to like doing this a lot," noted Anastasia, holding up their linked hands. Tilting her head back, she smiled at Kai, and his lips twitched slightly in response.

"I do," he said simply. This he could do. This was easy. "You don't?"

Anastasia snorted. "What do you think?" She didn't seem to care for a response. "Are you going to finish that whole thing yourself?" she asked suddenly, indicating the bottle balancing precariously next to them.

Kai reached for it with his free hand and offered it to her, only slightly reluctant. He didn't doubt her ability to handle the alcohol, but he didn't want it to alter her judgement if something happened. He'd have to be more careful now, make sure his actions were clear and her responses weren't based off of alcoholic influence. Almost as if she could read his mind, Anastasia rolled her eyes and took a swig, her face thoughtful instead of disgusted at the taste. She handed it back to him. "Expensive," she commented.

Kai hummed in reply, taking a sip himself after she was done. They lapsed into silence, passing the bottle back and forth almost absently, even though Kai tried to control her intake. He wanted to talk and fill the silence, but Anastasia seemed to enjoy the quiet. Her breathing was regular, and her posture was the most relaxed he had seen or felt in weeks. But there was a small dent between her eyebrows, only just visible to Kai because of the angle her face was at, and he knew immediately that she was thinking. Probably about him, and if so most definitely about _them._

Panic seized him for a second. He didn't want her to have second thoughts, not when he had finally admitted to himself that maybe, just maybe, he could do this. If Anastasia even had an inkling of doubt, he knew he would back off immediately. She was the only person who seemed to believe in him unconditionally, even though she hadn't known him for that long. But maybe that was the point. He hadn't betrayed her like he'd betrayed his friends, or disappointed her like he'd disappointed his family and his legacy. She knew very little about him, but she knew the important things. And if _she_ thought he couldn't do it, he wouldn't be able to. He didn't want her to think like that.

"Do you always think this loudly?" Kai asked, hoping he could interrupt her reverie.

It worked. Anastasia blinked and turned her face to look at him, her expression clear. She was even smiling a little. "Only when it's about you," she teased, and the light-hearted tone was music to his ears.

With newfound confidence, Kai shifted her hair off her shoulder, and breathed in her scent as he spoke into her ear. "Then by all means, think out loud."

Anastasia sucked in a breath and let it out in a shaky exhale. "You're cheating," she muttered.

"I am?" Kai stroked her arm absently. Her skin was silky, but goosebumps appeared in the wake of his fingers, once again offering him a boost of assurance. She did want him. She wasn't pushing him away.

"Mmhmm," Anastasia turned her head again, and her nose bumped against Kai's. "I can't concentrate when you're this close, you know," she whispered. She was so close he could feel her eyelashes brush against his cheeks.

"Yeah?" Kai's eyes locked with hers, and he saw the desire he felt reflected in her gaze. "I know how you feel."

"Liar."

"I'm serious," his lips were at her ear again. "I can't even concentrate when you're in the same room, Anna."

"Is that why you were staring at me that day?" she whispered suddenly. "When you were battling your team-mates?"

Kai's lips brushed against her cheek accidentally, and Anastasia sucked in another breath. He froze where he was, just barely touching her skin. "I stare at you all the time," he said carefully. "Haven't you noticed?"

"I'm not blind," she mumbled. "You're not very subtle."

Kai's lips twitched. "I'm not," he admitted.

She was watching him now, as if she expected him to do something more. He didn't, too aware of the fact that if he did and got rejected he'd never be able to face her again. They stayed like that for what felt like hours, staring each other down, until Anastasia finally spoke.

"Kai?"

He quirked an eyebrow in response.

Anastasia took a deep breath. "If you were planning, at any point today, to kiss me, I would _strongly_ advise you to do it now, before I –"

Neither of them ever found out what Anastasia would do, because Kai had already pressed his lips against her hungrily, needing no more encouragement. It wasn't like the movies, with cheesy singing and erratic heartbeats. It was _better_. She tasted like mint and Vodka and a hint of chocolate, the kind he was sure she had been snacking on before arriving at the party. And her waist was tiny, easily fitting into both of his hands, but he didn't let his hands wander, too busy enjoying the feel of his mouth against hers to concentrate on anything else. He had kissed girls before, girls who had probably had more experience than Anastasia, but it had never felt this _good_. Everything was on fire: his hands burned pleasantly whenever he brushed against her flushed skin, her lips were soft, her mouth warm and inviting. She was practically sitting on his lap now, her fingers bunching up the front of his shirt as she kissed him back eagerly. Everything about her made him hunger for more, and even when she pulled back slightly, gasping for breath, he merely ducked his head down and pressed his lips to her neck, ignoring the quiet hiss of pain as he sucked on a spot right near her pulse point, feeling the vein throb underneath her skin as he let his tongue glide against it lazily.

"You know, you're still hurt," he heard her mumble breathlessly as he continued to kiss her neck slowly. "We should stop."

"I don't care," he pressed a last, lingering kiss against her throat and straightened up, slightly satisfied to note that Anastasia looked significantly less put-together than she had a few minutes ago. "If _you_ want me to stop, say no," he whispered, his lips brushing her mouth tantalizingly. "Otherwise, just shut up."

"You're bossy," she mumbled. She inched forward to catch his lips in another kiss, and Kai could tell from the way her nails were digging into his shoulder that she was trying to avoid making the delectable sounds he had heard just a few moments ago.

Losing track of time was inevitable, and Kai didn't know how long it was before they actually talked again. They hadn't left the roof, because even though it was cold his head was just the right amount of foggy and Anastasia was curled up against his chest, alternating between kissing him and shivering pleasantly every time he touched her skin. It wasn't until the noises of the dwindling party reached them and Kai realized it must be late for even Tala to be kicking people out, which meant he'd have to take Anastasia home.

Which also meant he'd have to talk to her.

As if she had read his mind, Anastasia sighed quietly. "I don't want to go back inside."

"We should," said Kai, not bothering to hide his reluctance. He rested his chin on top of her head. "I should take you home."

For a second, Kai thought he was imagining her tight grip on his hand at his words, and the way her shoulders tensed up. When she spoke, though, he realized he wasn't. "Oh, really?"

Kai frowned. "What?"

"Nothing."

"Just because this happened doesn't mean you can be a pain, Anna," he said bluntly. Ignoring her huff of annoyance, he twisted her around so she was straddling his lap, and raised an eyebrow at her pout. "What's wrong?"

"What exactly is _this?"_ she demanded.

"This is exactly what you want it to be," said Kai calmly. Anastasia snorted and made to move, clearly wanting to put some distance between them, but Kai caught both her wrists in his hands and didn't let go.

"Are you drunk?" she asked abruptly. Kai rolled his eyes and shook his head. He was buzzed, but he wasn't drunk. He knew what he was doing. Anastasia huffed. "Well, then stop being so damn _vague_ and tell me what –"

"I want to know what you want," he interjected smoothly. "I'm being a gentleman here, Anna."

At the hint of sarcasm in Kai's tone, Anastasia's eyes flashed. "You act as though romance is beneath you and you don't deserve to be with anyone, let alone someone you care about, but all you do with _me_ is show me how much you care! What am I _supposed_ to think?"

"Tell me what you _do_ think."

Anastasia deflated suddenly, going limp in his arms. "It doesn't matter what I think," she muttered. "Because if you start acting like this never happened, I don't know what I'll do."

Kai released one of her wrists gently, using his free hand to tilt her chin up so she could meet his gaze. She was worried and anxious, and there was a hint of embarrassment in her eyes too, as if she was readying herself for rejection. "This happened," said Kai simply. "And I wanted it to happen."

He saw some of the worry in her eyes rescind. "And?" she asked hopefully.

"And what?" Kai caressed her cheek gently, but his tone was dry. "I kissed you and I have feelings for you, but that doesn't mean I'm going to change, Anna. I don't do grand, romantic gestures like that."

"But I don't care about that stuff," said Anastasia, throwing him off slightly. She seemed to be able to tell he was surprised, and she smiled. "I like you too, you know. You're mean and snappy with everyone else, but you're not like that with me. I think you've already changed a little."

"I don't –"

"And I'm not out to change who you are and what you believe in anyway," she interrupted gently. Kai could feel his pulse quicken at her words. He hadn't expected this. He hadn't expected her to understand so easily, without him having to argue or explain himself or spell it out for her. "I like you, and I want to give this, whatever it is, a try. That doesn't mean you have to be the kind of boyfriend who buys me flowers or writes me poetry or takes me out on fancy dates, whatever. But I do like being happy, and _you_ make me happy, _this_ makes me happy," embarrassed now, she buried her face into his chest, hiding a shy smile. "I know you may not like it, but that isn't a lot to ask for, is it?"

Anastasia's honesty was almost painful, because Kai doubted he could ever be that honest with her, even if he did try. But he suddenly wanted to. If it made her happy he'd spend a hundred nights out on rooftops just holding her, get punched in the jaw by Johnny an equal amount of times and even tolerate the admiring stares she received from people every time they were in public, because as cliché as it was her smile was worth it. And she needed to know that.

"I can do that," said Kai finally. "Not the poetry or the sappy stuff," he added, causing her to giggle quietly. He ran his fingers through her hair, admiring the silky curls, and enjoying the fact that he could now touch her hair whenever he wanted. "But I can do the rest. I can _try."_

"Trying sounds nice," agreed Anastasia quietly. "I'm going to be a terrible girlfriend, just so you know."

Kai grunted. "Really?"

"I'm jealous and possessive and I'll probably yell at you more that I kiss you," she peeked up at him from where she was still resting her head against his chest, the hint of teasing clear in her eyes. "Think you can handle that?"

"I can handle you," snorted Kai. He tugged on a curl. "Come on, let's go inside before you freeze."

"Not yet," Anastasia sighed and nestled further into his arms. Kai felt her lips touch the base of his throat lightly. "Let those people leave," she mumbled. "I like it when it's just you and me."

He did too.


	21. Chapter 21

"You run way too fast," panted Anastasia as they finally stopped. Gasping for air, she rested her palms on her knees and doubled over, breathing deeply. She heard Kai make a noise of disapproval and threw him a dirty look. "You said you'd go slow."

Kai rolled his eyes. "You said not to go easy on you."

"And you took me seriously?" she demanded. She slapped away his hand as he reached for her and stalked off towards the nearest bench.

Kai followed her. "You _wanted_ me to take you seriously," he pointed out.

Anastasia glared and collapsed onto the bench, stretching her aching legs out in front of her. "I hate you."

Kai snorted. "No, you don't," barely sweating, he ran a hand through his hair and glanced at his watch. He didn't sit down. "We've still got time."

"If you think I'm moving from here, you're mistaken," shot back Anastasia.

Kai sighed. "I told you not to come with me."

Anastasia ignored him, folding her legs under herself neatly and holding out her hand for her phone, which Kai took out of his pocket to hand to her. Her breathing was steadier now, but her chest hurt and her leg muscles were aching. She hated running – and all other forms of exercise – but when Kai had off-handedly mentioned the night before that he wanted to go running the next morning, Anastasia had invited herself along. She was now blaming her decision on her euphoric state that night, along with Kai himself, who had been too busy distracting her with kisses to actually warn her that he would be training, and therefore would probably cause her to have a heart attack in the park. Groaning softly, Anastasia closed her eyes and massaged her temples, feeling a headache coming on.

"Hey," Kai's voice was soft, and the rickety bench creaked as he sat down next to her. Anastasia didn't open her eyes, but she felt him smooth her hair off her sweaty forehead, his fingers lingering against her cheek. "You okay?"

Anastasia opened her eyes and saw that Kai was watching her, looking about as concerned as it was possible for him to look. She smiled grimly. "I hate to conform to stereotypes, but I'm a technician and I belong behind a computer. Physical fitness is not my thing," Kai smirked a little, and Anastasia rested her cheek against his palm, offering him a half-teasing, half-apologetic look. "I'm sorry I ruined your training."

"You didn't," his thumb brushed against her lower lip, "I liked having you here."

"And you're not still hurt, from last night?" she persisted.

"Just bruises," Kai shrugged. "I've had worse."

Yeah, he had. Anastasia bit her lip, remembering the glimpse she'd gotten of his back. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I never wanted you to get hurt like that, because of me."

"Anna," Kai sighed. "There's no one else I'd rather throw a punch for."

Despite her trepidation, Anastasia felt butterflies erupt in her stomach at his comment. "Wow, you're a sap."

Kai snorted and took his hand away, causing Anastasia to pout. Rolling his eyes, he allowed her to rest her head against his chest and tangled his fingers into her ponytail, admiring the sleek curls that spilled across his fingers. Anastasia was on her phone, texting Tala and Alice and at least three other people at the same time. Taking advantage of her distraction, Kai examined her hair, trying once again to decipher what exactly was so fascinating about her curls. He was convinced she spent hours on her hair, but it was barely eight in the morning and he had seen her looking bleary-eyed when he'd picked her up, so that didn't make any sense. Did she –

"What are you doing?" suddenly, her phone was face down in her lap and Anastasia was straightening up to look at Kai, catching him completely off-guard.

Kai scowled. "Nothing," he snapped. He dropped the curl he had been playing with and flicked at her ear in annoyance.

She laughed. "Every time I get distracted you start playing with my hair. You can just tell me if you like it, you know," winking, she tossed her ponytail over her shoulder.

"Do you like asking questions you already know the answer to?"

"Yes," Anastasia rested her chin on her palm, balancing her elbows on her knees as she continued to watch him curiously. "Anyway, I'm never exactly sure what the answer is with you."

Anastasia's phone chirped suddenly, before Kai could reply. Grateful for the distraction since he wasn't exactly sure what to say, he took it from her hands without invitation and began flicking through her messages with pretend-idleness. Anastasia clicked her tongue, but didn't stop him.

"How often does Tala text you?" asked Kai. Anastasia's recent messages were full of his own and Tala's, ranging from long ones to a one-word responses. Kai didn't open them, even though he desperately wanted to. As casual as Anastasia was about him looking at her phone, he didn't think she's appreciate it if he invaded her privacy too much.

"Too often," Anastasia rolled her eyes. "What does he want now?"

Kai opened the message. "Breakfast."

"Only if he pays."

"Apparently, I'm paying."

Anastasia shrugged. "That's fine too."

Her phone beeped again. Kai glanced at the screen. "What's he saying about a date?"

"He wants to know if breakfast counts as our first date," Anastasia took her phone back and typed out a message – containing a multitude of colourful words detailing exactly where she would shove Tala's phone if he didn't stop texting her – before yawning. "Okay, I told him to shut up and that we'll meet him there. Can we go now? I want pancakes."

"I have practice," pointed out Kai.

"Your solo practice can wait, and your team would appreciate a few more hours of sleep," Anastasia stood up and held out her hand impatiently, clearly not taking no for an answer.

Kai sighed but got up anyway, making a mental note to text Kenny to make sure the rest of the team had at least gotten in a run before he met up with them. In an ideal world, he would have spent the whole day with Anastasia, but he couldn't. And despite her insistent tugging on his hand, he knew she knew that. He had no doubt that if he told her he wanted to cancel practice to be with her, she would hit him.

"You're thinking pretty loudly," Anastasia nudged his shoulder playfully, and Kai felt his lips twitch. He wanted to smile, he really did, but he was too good at stopping himself now to try and change. Still, he couldn't remember _wanting_ to smile this much in a while.

"Only when it's about you," he replied. Anastasia blushed, and Kai smirked. They were still holding hands, and he tugged her closer so he could wrap an arm around her waist. She threw him a look of amusement, but didn't say anything.

The car ride to the diner Tala had told them to come to was quiet, but comfortable, and Anastasia was glad for the small sense of normalcy that settled over them as Kai began to drive. This was something they did every day; it was routine, and it didn't make her want to smile like an idiot, even though she was biting her lip to avoid doing just that as Kai casually drove one-handed, the other one resting on her knee.

It had barely been a day since they'd decided to give this – whatever it was – a try, and despite the fact that Kai had been insistent in saying he wouldn't and couldn't change, it had only taken Anastasia a few hours of his company to notice that he _had_ changed. It was too soon to tell if they were permanent changes or if she was only just picking up on them now, but she knew that Kai liked being around her, and not just because she knew when he wanted quiet. Now, she could tell he liked being around her because it was _her –_ she had never felt this confident in someone's presence, and it almost unnerving how comfortable she was sitting next to him in complete silence. It wasn't like before, where she would interrupt the quiet and speak because she felt like she had to, or because she wanted to tease him, or because the electricity crackling in the air between them was driving her insane. Now, she knew she didn't have to break the silence, and she had plenty of time to tease him if she wanted to, and if the electricity got to be too much she could simply reach over and kiss him. It was a luxury, and it wasn't one she was going to get tired of any time soon.

"You know he knows, right?" Kai interrupted her reverie suddenly.

Anastasia shook herself out of her thoughts. "Hmm? What?"

"Tala," said Kai. He wasn't looking at her, but he sounded slightly tense. "He knows."

"About us?" Anastasia frowned. "Did you tell him?"

"Did you want me not to?"

"Oh, I don't know," Anastasia ran a hand through her ponytail absently. "I mean, it's Tala, we see him way more than your other friends. It isn't like he wouldn't have figured it out eventually. But _did_ you tell him?" she asked curiously. The thought was faintly amusing. "Oh my god, what was _that_ conversation like?"

Kai glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad?"

"You freak out every time the press publishes a picture of us."

"Oh, that," Anastasia shrugged. "That's different. That's the whole world, people you're going to battle, people who might want to hire me. This is just Tala."

"Explain."

Anastasia frowned. "What, did you think I'd throw a fit just because you told your friend we're dating now?" Kai gave her a look that told her that's exactly what he had thought. Anastasia huffed. "Okay, first of all, that's rude. Second of all, I have no problem with Tala knowing, because if you hadn't told him I probably would have. And thirdly, not wanting the whole world to know we're dating isn't only for my benefit, it's for yours too. I thought you of all people would get that."

"I don't."

Anastasia sighed. "Okay, just hear me out. I don't want the press knowing too much about you and me, because you're a beyblader and I'm a technician. I don't want people thinking the only reason I worked hard on Dranzer is because it was yourbeyblade; I want people to hire me because I'm _good,_ no matter who I work for. And do you really want your opponent in a battle knowing your girlfriend who _made_ your beyblade is sitting in the front row, cheering for you? Or what if someone makes a comment about me when we're out in public, knowing you're insane about that kind of stuff, so you can punch them and then get disqualified?"

Kai frowned. "That actually makes sense."

"The fact that you sound surprised is offensive."

"I'm not surprised."

"You're annoyed because you didn't think of it yourself?"

"You're asking questions you already know the answers to again."

Anastasia laughed.

 **!**

"Someone's worked up an appetite," said Tala mischievously. Anastasia ignored him and continued to shovel pancakes into her mouth, relishing the hot food. Her body was unused to exercise and early mornings, and the sugar rush was exactly what she needed.

Kai rolled his eyes and took a gulp of his coffee. "Why are you awake, Tala?"

"We've been sitting here for an hour and you only just ask me that?" asked Tala wryly. "What, you got a girlfriend now so I don't matter?"

"Yup."

"You wound me."

"Shut up."

"Come on, Kai, am I that easy to forget?"

"Yes."

"But I missed you _so –"_

"Tala, if you keep flirting with him while I'm sitting right here, so help me god I will take apart your beyblade and put it back together in less than fifty seconds so it explodes in your face next time you try and launch it," interrupted Anastasia calmly. Kai choked on his coffee at her comment, and she ignored him, keeping her eyes locked on Tala's face. "Do you understand?"

For a few seconds, the only sounds were Kai's coughing and the buzz of activity around them in the small diner. Then, Tala blinked. "Damn, you're hot."

Barely recovered from his past fit, Kai began to cough again, this time glaring at the redhead opposite him. Tala held his hands up in surrender, his eyes twinkling mischievously. Anastasia snorted. "I know," for good measure, she kicked his shin and then stole his untouched glass of orange juice. "Did you enjoy your evening with Alice?"

Tala smirked. "Very much. She say anything about me?"

"I wouldn't know. She hadn't woken up when I left _at the crack of dawn."_

"It was only eight," Kai rolled his eyes at her pointed glare. "And I said you didn't have to come with me."

"You should have been clearer," shot back Anastasia.

"Getting up early won't kill you."

"Says you!"

"Says _science."_

"Well, I'm smarter than you!"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Aha!" Anastasia smiled triumphantly. "So you admit I'm smarter than you?"

Kai narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you being funny?"

"I'm always funny, but mostly I'm pretty," flicking her hair over her shoulder, Anastasia leaned slightly closer to him and fluttered her eyelashes innocently. "Don't you think so?"

Kai smirked and tilted his head down so it was level with hers. The booth was small, and Anastasia had already been sitting closer to him than she normally would have, so her scent had been flooding his senses for a while. But she was looking at him now, her hair framing her face in a messy way he had grown to like. There were flecks of green in her eyes he had never noticed before, and the pale pink lip gloss she wore on her lips was smudged slightly. From experience, Kai assumed it was strawberry flavored, and he suddenly wanted to check, to see if he was right.

"Wow," Tala's voice cut into the silence suddenly. He sounded amused and fascinated at the same time. "I can practically see the sparks. How have you two lasted this long without jumping each other?"

"You think if we ignore him he'll go away?" asked Anastasia.

"Doubtful," said Kai.

"Hey!" from the corner of his eye, Kai could see Tala waving a hand in their direction. "You guys want me to go?"

"Yes," they both answered simultaneously. Anastasia's gaze flickered to the side for a second, but Kai didn't look away from her face. She was biting the corner of her lip now, and something in her eyes told him she was doing it on purpose.

"Tough luck," Tala threw something at them, and reflexively Kai swatted away the plastic fork before it could connect with the side of Anastasia's head. Immediately, she turned to glare at the redhead, who grinned. "You can be cute when you're alone."

"You know, if you hadn't tried so hard to make this happen we wouldn't be in this position," pointed out Anastasia.

Tala looked like Christmas had come early at her words, and Kai groaned softly, knowing what was coming next. She threw them both questioning looks, but Tala was already speaking. "So, it _was_ me," he sounded unbearably smug. "I knew it. I told Hilary it would work."

"Annoying us to death didn't work," said Kai bluntly. "You didn't do anything."

"Anna said I did."

"She doesn't know what she's talking about."

"Hello? Sitting right here," Anastasia poked him in the ribs, deliberately, and Kai winced. She gave him a look of triumph before turning back to Tala. "Ignore him. I give you partial credit."

"Yes!" Tala exclaimed, a little too loudly, and Anastasia suddenly felt the people around them turn to stare curiously. She turned red and glared at Tala, who didn't seem to notice. Next to her, she felt Kai's hand come to rest on her knee, and the gesture was oddly soothing. A quick glance at his face told her he knew exactly what he was doing, and she smiled.

"For a guy who claims to suck at romance, you're not half bad at being a boyfriend," murmured Anastasia, so only he would hear. Tala was on his phone, talking about how he needed to tell Hilary it was all him and not her – he was too distracted to notice no one was paying attention to him anymore.

"I _am_ bad at it," Kai frowned at her. "You don't expect much, do you?"

"Not really," Anastasia rested her head against his arm, trying not to let it bother her that people were still watching them. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"Hn," Kai lifted his arm so she could curl up against his side, and Anastasia felt his fingers running up and down her bare arm gently. "I don't think it's a good thing for you."

"If you want, I could order you around like Hilary does to Tyson," offered Anastasia. "You'd think it would lessen the attraction, but he's still crazy about her, so it probably works."

Kai snorted. "I don't think tactics that work on _Tyson_ would work on me."

"Now you're just being mean," rolling her eyes, she picked up her phone to check her messages.

"Hey, do you guys want to head out?" asked Tala, oblivious to their conversation. "Anna, you joining us for practice?"

"No, I have some stuff to catch up on."

"I can take her home, if you need to leave," offered Tala, addressing Kai.

"I'm fine," said Kai. "Where are you going?"

"Chief wants me to help with tag-team statistics," Tala rolled his eyes. "The kid knows I'm not a technician, right? Can't you help?" he turned to Anastasia pleadingly.

"Don't look at me," Anastasia sighed. "I've already meddled with your team enough. The American BBA is going to bench me for the season."

"What?" asked Kai sharply.

"Well, yeah," Anastasia gave him an odd look. "We knew that was a possibility when I was offered the job. Mr. Dickinson said I'd probably have to give up working with the All Starz for the season if I ended up fixing Dranzer. Conflict of interest or something like that. They can't guarantee I'll be impartial. And _now?"_ Anastasia snorted and held up their joint hands. "What do _you_ think?"

Tala let out a low whistle. "Benched," he repeated slowly. "That must suck."

Anastasia shrugged. "If I didn't take this job, I'd have stayed with the All Starz, they would be the American champions again and I'd be exactly where I was before. If the BladeBreakers do well this season, though, I'll get a lot of credit for fixing Dranzer, because you guys will definitely go to the finals. Either way, it wasn't a hard decision to make."

"Well, if we get to keep you for longer I'd say it's a good decision," Tala winked, and Anastasia stuck out her tongue at him. They said goodbye outside the restaurant, and Kai gave instructions to Tala for them to start practice without him. Anastasia didn't understand why he'd suggested that until they were in the car and, instead of starting the engine, he turned to look at her seriously.

Anastasia blinked. "What's wrong?"

"You didn't tell me you'd get benched," said Kai.

"I assumed you knew," Anastasia said confusedly. "I can't go and work with Emily again after everything I've analyzed and done here, Kai. It would be impossible for me to keep the two separate."

"So you'll spend a whole season doing nothing?"

"Not _nothing,"_ Anastasia sighed. "They'll give me a project or something, I guess, a new upgrade they want tested. I just won't be involved with the championship team. It's not a big deal," she added, when she saw that Kai still looked irritated. "I knew they'd suggest it, there was a clause in the fancy contract I signed that said I might end up having to give up involvement with my original team if I got this job, but Dickinson said he'd make sure I wouldn't be fired. Why are you so worked up about this?"

"I'm not," said Kai shortly. He started the car and began to back out of the parking lot, but the knuckles of his hands were white, and his shoulders were tense.

Anastasia rolled her eyes. "Okay, as flattering as it is that you're annoyed on my behalf, you don't need to be. I'd make the same decision if it was offered to me today, even if it meant getting kicked off the American team. _Especially_ today," pointedly, she reached over and pried one of his hands off the wheel, holding it in her own. Kai glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, and she flashed him a smile. "Aren't you glad I took this job?"

"It's not that," Kai sighed. He squeezed her hand. "I didn't realize they'd make you sit around and do nothing after this. You're too talented for that, Anna, and you're going to hate it."

"Amen to that," Anastasia snorted. "But they're right to do this. I couldn't go back to the All Starz now and work on beyblades that I know for a fact wouldn't survive against the one I'm making for you, and I couldn't use that information to upgrade their beyblades because that wouldn't be right. But I can't be your team's technician, because this is the last tournament for most of you guys, but the American BBA has four other teams lined up, ready to take over. I'm better off waiting for their time to come."

"Hn."

"Oh, don't stop talking now," teased Anastasia. "You were ready to be my white knight a few minutes ago, weren't you?"

Kai snorted. "I wasn't. I just didn't think it sounded fair."

"It's the fairest option," said Anastasia diplomatically. "I don't mind watching my beyblade kick ass on TV, honestly. It'll be pretty gratifying, plus it'll be easy to take sides."

Kai raised an eyebrow. "It should be easier to take sides now."

"Oh, I don't know," Anastasia took out her phone and scrolled through her messages, pretending to contemplate his words. "I hear Michael's been working out, and Johnny is _such_ a charmer. And don't even get me started on those White Tiger boys, they're so – _hey!"_

"You'll get this back when you're sure whose side you're on," said Kai calmly. Anastasia glared at him and tried to snatch her phone out of his hands, but he was too quick for her, tossing it into the compartment by the driver's side door and giving her a smug look when he saw that she couldn't reach it now.

"None of those boys would annoy me like this," muttered Anastasia sullenly.

"That's because they're scared of you."

" _You_ should be scared of me."

"I'm not," Kai smirked and the car began to slow, as her apartment building came into view. "Last chance, or your phone goes home with me."

"I liked you better when you were still pretending you didn't like me."

"No, you didn't."

There was something in Kai's voice that made Anastasia's snarky reply die on her lips. He still sounded indifferent, and his tone was just light enough for someone like her to know he was teasing her, but there was an underlying emotion Anastasia couldn't quite pinpoint. There was affection, and happiness, and maybe even a little bit of flirtation, but the combination was so strange that Anastasia was almost struck dumb. One look confirmed her suspicions – Kai was looking at her expectantly, but he was smiling a little, and it was the kind of smile she rarely saw him give anyone. It made butterflies erupt in her stomach.

"No, I definitely like you more now," she admitted smilingly. Kai looked triumphant, but Anastasia didn't give him a chance to respond. The car had stopped, and she took advantage of the stillness to close the distance between them, giving him a quick kiss. It was chaste, and she could tell Kai was caught slightly off guard by her actions, but he was smiling a little bigger now, which meant he had enjoyed it. Anastasia nudged his nose with hers playfully. "So, will you still like me even when you're a world champion and I'm unemployed?"

Kai hummed in response, leaning in close again. "No problem," he said easily, his lips brushing against her temple. "I'll just hire you again."

Anastasia raised an eyebrow. "For what? You won't need a technician."

"I'd need an assistant, if I was a world champion," he pointed out. He kissed the corner of her mouth, and Anastasia sighed quietly, her mind going blissfully blank. But Kai made no attempt to kiss her properly, and she cracked open an eye, unwilling to keep talking. He gave her a questioning look.

Anastasia huffed. "I can't be your assistant. I can barely organize my own life."

"I know," he nuzzled her cheek softly. "Good thing you're dating the boss."

Anastasia laughed softly. "You're cute. Now I don't want you to leave."

"I don't want to leave either."

"Don't," Anastasia groaned. "Me saying that is funny, _you_ saying that will just tempt me to make you stay."

"And what if I want to stay anyway?" asked Kai. He began to trace circles onto her bare knee with his free hand.

Anastasia caught his fingers in her own, shaking her head smilingly. "Not when you have practice."

"I can cancel practice."

"For me?" Anastasia raised an eyebrow. "I won't come between you and this sport, Kai, I know how important it is to you."

He gave her a long look. "You're important too, you know," he said finally.

"I believe you," she kissed him again, and she could tell from the way his fingers tightened around hers that he did not like her pulling away so soon. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

"Are you busy tonight?"

Anastasia frowned. "No, but what are you doing tomorrow?"

"We're working tomorrow," he said simply. "So, tonight?"

Anastasia blinked. "What, you want to see me again tonight?"

"I want to take you out on a date tonight," he said, slowly, as if she was an idiot. "Is that okay?"

"I – yeah, of course," Anastasia shook her head. "Sorry, I didn't think _you'd_ want to go on a date."

"So I'm dating you, but I'm not actually _dating_ you?" Kai gave her a weird look. "When did we decide that?"

"No, never mind," Anastasia rolled her eyes. "Tonight is fine. Text me what time?"

"I will," he leaned forward and gave her another kiss. "And take a nap. Running isn't your thing."

"I'll try not to fall asleep on you tonight."

"Or we could skip my practice _and_ our date and just take a nap together," said Kai suggestively.

His tone was so ridiculous and so unlike him that Anastasia burst out laughing, causing him to chuckle quietly with her as well.

The smile didn't leave her face for the rest of the day.


	22. Chapter 22

KH: _See you at 7._

Anastasia reread Kai's text for the hundredth time and then glanced at herself in the mirror again, her hands fidgeting nervously. She told herself it was because she had changed her outfit so many times she was confused about whether or not she should continue to wear this or change: the flowery, sleeveless top could be construed as too casual for a first date, and she knew Alice and Hilary would disapprove of her decision to wear jeans, even if her shoes were a pair of pretty, strappy sandals that made her legs look amazing. But she had done it on purpose - Kai had seen her in almost every state imaginable, and even though she was sure the risqué green dress from Tala's party hadn't been the only reason he had finally made a move on her, she wasn't about to make dressing like that a habit. Her outfit was pretty, and comfortable, considering she had no idea where they were going, and she didn't think he was expecting her to look like they were going to a cocktail party anyway. Again, she glanced at herself in the mirror. Kai was due to pick her up in a few hours, but her intense nerves meant she had gotten ready early, and was now proceeding to drive herself crazy by overthinking everything.

The same questions danced through her mind, again and again. Should they be doing this? Should _she_ be doing this? Why had she even said yes? The one rule everyone she had ever met had told her to obey was to not date in the workplace, and what was Kai if not her boss? Mr. Dickinson had hired her specifically to work with him, _for_ him, and here she was agreeing to go on a date with him. If this backfired – which it was bound to, because Anastasia didn't know how to have a stable relationship – then she would be screwed. It wouldn't stay a secret, and she'd definitely be unemployed for longer just than a few months. She'd have to rethink and redo everything she had worked so hard for. She should call Kai and cancel this date before it went too far, before she was in too deep and hurting them both.

Except she couldn't. She had been agonizing over this topic for over an hour, but she had made no move to do anything about it. Every time she thought she had summoned the nerve to pick up the phone, Kai's face flashed in front of her eyes, and he was either smiling at her, or giving her that look he had given her the night when he had kissed her, or he was telling her she was important. Or, she was rereading the text he had sent her, which cemented the fact that this was indeed happening, and she freaked out all over again.

This was ridiculous. There was only one person who could help her with her doubts, and there was no point pretending otherwise. Taking a deep breath, Anastasia picked up her phone.

AN: _I need to talk to you. Call me._

She bit her lip and hit send, tapping her fingers against her thigh anxiously. A few minutes later, she jumped when her phone rang, and answered the call hastily. "Hello?"

" _What's up?"_ Tatiana's tone was matter-of-fact.

Anastasia took a deep breath. "I did something potentially stupid."

" _Stupider than falling for Kai Hiwatari?"_

"How did you –"

" _I'm a journalist, you're my sister, someone tried to reach out to me for a comment,"_ said Tatiana flippantly. _"I don't need a backstory. Are you having doubts? Already?"_

Anastasia sighed. "Tatiana, we haven't even been on a date yet. Those were _actual_ rumors."

" _Oh,"_ Tatiana sounded surprised. _"Sorry, I just assumed, since he was at the memorial, that you two were a thing."_

"I would have told you if we were."

" _The last time we talked you told me to stay out of your life and never call you again."_

"Yes, I did, but I'm calling a truce for the next few minutes," sighed Anastasia. She tugged at the ends of her hair nervously. "I don't know what to do."

" _Okay,"_ Tatiana took a deep breath. _"Maybe I do need some backstory. Start from the beginning."_

And she did.

When Anastasia had caught her sister up on everything, from the first time they'd met to the events of that morning, Tatiana let out a low whistle. _"Wow."_

"Good wow or bad wow?"

" _Just… wow,"_ Tatiana sounded dazed. _"What do you want me to say?"_

"I don't know," Anastasia groaned. "Look, I know you shouldn't date in the workplace –"

" _I met Mike my first day at the newspaper, Anastasia,"_ interrupted Tatiana. _"That isn't always a hardcore rule."_

"Okay, fine, but the long-distance is insane, and I don't know how he feels about it."

" _Well, wouldn't you two be travelling to the same places as soon as the beyblading season starts anyway?"_ asked Tatiana. _"That solves your problem for the first year, at least, and by the end of it you'll know better what to do."_

Anastasia hated it when her sister made sense. "He's messed up," she said, and finally Tatiana had no response to that. She continued, "He's so, so messed up, Tatiana. His grandfather did a number on him, he went to that insane Abbey in Russia, not to mention Black Dranzer and his obsession with winning. God only knows what kind of things he's seen and had to do since he was a kid."

 _"Your parents were awful, you cut ties with your entire family when you were thirteen, you've been working since you were sixteen, and you've always felt like you need to be on your own,"_ said Tatiana dryly. _"You've both had sucky lives, Anastasia."_

"Having a sucky home-life and having a borderline _abusive_ home-life are two very different things."

 _"Everybody's got baggage. He's not giving you shit for yours, you shouldn't hold his against him."_

Something in her tone made Anastasia narrow her eyes suspiciously. "Why are you talking like that?

" _Like what?"_

"Like you've made up your mind about something and you're waiting for me to come to the same conclusion."

" _I don't know what you mean,"_ Tatiana cleared her throat. _"I'm just Googling Kai now. Oh, look, he's half-Russian! You can practice your language skills on him."_

"You want me to date him," said Anastasia, slowly, as the realization that her sister _approved_ of Kai began to dawn on her. "Oh my God, you're not serious, right? _You_ approve of _Kai?"_

" _I don't know him well enough to approve or disapprove,"_ said Tatiana diplomatically. _"But I can tell you like him. And I can tell he makes you happy. I always said you spent too much time working and not enough time acting your age. Nineteen year olds date, Anastasia. They make mistakes and have regrets and do other stupid things, they don't spend their free time doing whatever it is that you do."_

Anastasia bristled. "I work, you know."

" _Yes, and you're very good at your job. And that won't change just because you decide to date this guy,"_ said Tatiana gently. _"I know you want my honest opinion, and I do honestly think he sounds like a mess. He could be insensitive, and not very good at commitment. But he also sounds like he cares about you, and I can tell how happy you are that he feels that way. Don't throw that away just because it_ could _go wrong."_

"I don't want to throw it away."

" _Then don't overthink it."_

"But I -"

 _"Anastasia, even Mike wouldn't have come with me to Mom and Dad's funeral, and I'm marrying the guy,"_ said Tatiana. _"He hated how they treated me, and he decided that his way to show he supported me was to agree that I needed to cut off from the family. That worked for me, but Kai knew even before I did that it wouldn't work for you. You won't get someone who understands stuff like this so easily, trust me. It took_ years _for Mike to understand._ "

Anastasia sighed. "He _does_ get it better than anyone else."

 _"There you go,"_ Tatiana sounded triumphant. _"And let's be honest, Anastasia. Even if I said you shouldn't date Kai, is that all it would take for you to reconsider?"_

Anastasia didn't have to think twice about her answer. "Of course not."

" _Then why are we even having this conversation?"_

Both sisters were quiet for a few moments at that. The death of their parents had strained their already tenuous relationship, but Anastasia hadn't hesitated to call her sister when she wanted to speak to her, and Tatiana still called her every weekend. Even if she didn't pick up. There was bad blood, but it was blood nevertheless.

Finally, Tatiana sighed. _"Okay, look. Go on a date with him, maybe even a few more. See how it feels to be with him_ outside _of a working relationship. If he makes you happy and he treats you right, please don't reject him just because it'll be difficult. Relationships are always difficult."_

"Okay," Anastasia let out a breath. "Okay, I'll give this a chance. I –" an incoming text interrupted her, and she glanced at her phone screen. "Oh, shoot. I have to go, he's on his way."

" _Now? You waited until it was almost time for your date before you freaked out?"_ demanded Tatiana. _"Are you –"_

"I'll call you later, bye!"

 **!**

"What's your favorite color?"

Kai snorted. "That's the best you can come up with?"

"Humor me," Anastasia sat up, running a hand through her hair idly. "Are there leaves in my hair?"

"No," Kai rolled his eyes. Anastasia made a face at him, putting on a show of looking at the blanket they were lying on critically, as if to catch him in a lie. Kai ignored her. "Come back here."

"You're clingy."

"You're warm."

"You didn't answer my question!"

"You just want to know stuff you can't find out by hacking," said Kai. He reached up and finally tugged her back down next to him, grunting in pain as Anastasia collapsed against his chest.

She giggled. "Sorry," angling her head back, she kissed his cheek. "Drinking isn't the best for my balance."

"It isn't the best for you anyway," said Kai dryly. Discreetly, he nudged the half-empty wine bottle away with his elbow. "What was your question?"

"Favorite color."

"I haven't thought about it," Kai shrugged.

"And if you had to think about it?"

"Blue."

"The color of your beyblade isn't a valid answer."

"That's not the only blue thing I like."

Anastasia wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Is there an innuendo in there somewhere that I'm not getting?"

Kai groaned. "It's the color of your eyes, you moron."

Anastasia's eyes widened in surprised. "Why, Kai Hiwatari, you're a regular romantic."

"And you make me regret it."

Anastasia started giggling again, burying her face into Kai's chest to stifle her laughter. She knew he was rolling his eyes at her antics, but he didn't push her away – instead, she felt his fingers tangle into her hair as she cuddled closer to him. They'd been lying on a blanket in the garden of the old Hiwatari mansion, just talking, for hours now, and even though she knew they both had to be up early the next day, she was in no mood to leave.

When Kai had picked her up earlier that night and told her they were heading to the house again, Anastasia had bit back the questions she desperately wanted to ask and allowed him to take her there, a million thoughts racing through her mind. She knew she had to tread a fine line if she wanted Kai to change for the better and not so much that he ended up resenting her, but at the same time she had to admit she was dying of curiosity: what _did_ dating Kai Hiwatari look like anyway? She certainly hadn't expected him to take her to dinner and a movie. And it wasn't because she didn't think he could, but because that just didn't seem like something Kai would enjoy doing. As prepared as she had been for a night that was out of the ordinary, an evening spent at her boyfriend's dead, uber-rich grandfather's mansion was something even she was skeptical about.

Of course, she had been speechless in the best way possible as soon as they had entered the gates of the mansion. Anastasia wasn't sure what she had expected from their first date, but dinner on the front lawn of the Hiwatari mansion was definitely not on her list. The house was dark, but the garden was lit up, by what looked like the trees themselves, and closer examination revealed that there were lights threaded through the branches, giving off just enough light for them to move around, but not too much that it was blinding. Dinner had been followed by copious amounts of wine – how had he known what kind of wine she liked? – and the luxury of lying in Kai's arms looking up at the clear night's sky. All in all, it was so _them_ that Anastasia had been shell-shocked. The fact that he had clearly planned this as well, knowing how uncomfortable she would be if they went out somewhere too public, seemed like something straight out of a romance novel.

And the night had kept getting better. Anastasia had teased Kai mercilessly at first, acting as though they were still getting to know each other and asking him invasive, and sometimes slightly uncomfortable questions. For a while, Kai had merely ignored her, but then he had started playing along – he had answered her, shortly but honestly, and even though Anastasia was sure the three glasses of wine had helped to loosen his tongue, every new piece of information he offered her willingly still thrilled her.

"You're thinking pretty loudly," murmured Kai into her ear suddenly. Anastasia snuck a look up at him, and he smirked. "About me again?"

Anastasia was tempted to lie, but there was no point. She made a face, and Kai turned his head so he could look at her, his eyes alight with curiosity. Anastasia didn't need to ask what he wanted to know. "I didn't expect this," she confessed.

"I know you didn't," he twirled a lock of her hair around his finger idly. "That's why I did it."

"So you're not actually this romantic?" asked Anastasia playfully.

"No," he surprised her by kissing her nose. "But I can be."

"Why would you –"

"Because I said I'd try," he interrupted her firmly. Anastasia's eyes widened, and Kai smirked. "What, did you think you're the only one who wants to make this work?"

"Of course not!" Anastasia said defensively. "I just didn't think you'd try… _this_ much."

"Because I told you I'd be a bad boyfriend," said Kai, and Anastasia opened her mouth, clearly wanting to argue. He snorted. "Yeah, I know. I just remembered I don't like to be bad at _anything."_

"What, you're a great beyblader so you decided being my boyfriend is the next thing you can train yourself to be good at?" Anastasia rolled her eyes. "Should I be offended or flattered?"

"I don't really care what you think," said Kai casually. Anastasia huffed and tried to move away, but Kai's fingers, which had been playing with her hair as they talked, suddenly tangled themselves into her curls harder, refusing to let her get up. She glared, and his eyes darkened. Butterflies erupted in her stomach when he spoke in a low, husky voice. "Or maybe I just decided to do something sappy so you'd stop complaining."

Anastasia opened her mouth to retort, but Kai was already planting slow, lazy kisses against the skin of her neck, and her words died on her lips. "I hate you," she murmured, even as her hands gripped at his hair. "You're cheating."

"I know," he smirked against her skin, and Anastasia bit her lip to keep from whimpering when she felt him nip at her collarbone. "Playing fair isn't fun."

"Shut up," Anastasia's pulse sped up as Kai kissed his way back up her neck, lingering at her jaw. "You're _so_ doing this on purpose."

"I'm just getting started," the smugness in his voice was clear, even as he began devoting all his attention to a spot on Anastasia's neck that she was sure would be purple tomorrow. "I like you better when you don't talk anyway."

Through the haze in her brain, Anastasia registered his words, and narrowed her eyes. She didn't get a chance to retort, however, because Kai was _finally_ done torturing her and she felt his lips crash against hers hungrily just before she could speak.

Anastasia didn't even try to hide the fact that she was enjoying herself: it would have been hard to pretend otherwise, anyway. This kiss was definitely better than their last one – then again, she had thought that to herself every time he kissed her. Her entire body was on fire, but the heat was so pleasant she hardly paid it any attention. Kai's hands were rough, and his calloused fingers dug into her sides deliciously, his thumbs just barely brushing the bare skin of her stomach.

"For the record," she managed to say as he paused in between kisses. "This totally counts as more than just _trying."_

Kai's eyes, which had been closed as he rested his forehead against hers lazily, snapped open. "Easy to please, aren't you?"

"It's all part of my master plan to make sure you stick around," Anastasia shrugged. "Be easy-going now and become impossible to deal with just when you can't bear to let me go."

"Sounds good," said Kai dryly. "Done complaining now?"

Anastasia rolled her eyes. "What could I complain about? It's like you read the manual on what to do on a first date, Kai."

"You know what I mean."

"You're lucky I do," she winked, and then became serious. "I'd never complain if I knew you were trying, hotshot. And I know you _will_ try. I wouldn't be here if I didn't think you would."

"Hmm," Kai kissed her temple. "So you won't call your sister an hour before our date and freak out next time?"

Anastasia groaned. "Did you check my call log?"

"Not on purpose."

"How'd you know I was talking about you?" she demanded. "We could have been planning her wedding, or fighting, or –"

"All of those could be true, but _you_ called _her,"_ pointed out Kai. "I'm not an idiot, Anna, I know you. You wanted to rant."

"Not about you!" she insisted.

"Stop lying," Kai seemed more amused than annoyed, she was relieved to see. She gestured that she wanted to sit up, and Kai willingly moved away so she could. Instead of sitting opposite her, though, he linked their fingers together and pulled her close so her back was against his chest. She felt him kiss the nape of her neck softly. "Were you going to cancel on me while I was on my way to pick you up?" he teased. "Really?"

Anastasia sighed. "I wouldn't have cancelled on you," she said defensively. "And anyway, she's so on board with this it's scary, so you don't have to worry about that."

"She is?" _now_ he sounded interested.

Anastasia smiled. She loved it when he tried to hide how invested he actually was in her, _them._ It was so typical of a boy, and yet so Kai-like, that it was adorable. "Yeah, she is. She said I should do what makes me happy."

He didn't reply immediately, but Anastasia didn't begrudge him the moment of quiet. Kai had been amazing the whole night, not only putting up with her chatter but also matching her every step of the way. It had been nice, for a couple of hours, to pretend like they didn't have a hundred other responsibilities outside of their little bubble. She knew she would have plenty more freak-outs before she left, but after tonight, she wouldn't be calling her sister for reassurance anymore. With less words than Anastasia had thought possible, Kai had made her feel better than anyone else ever could, and that was all she needed.

"We should go," Kai said finally. "It's getting late."

"And you have an early practice," said Anastasia. She squeezed his hand and untangled herself from his arms, stretching slightly. "Okay, let's go."

Kai stood up and held out a hand for her. "What time should I pick you up tomorrow?" he asked.

"Not tomorrow," Anastasia shook her head and allowed him to help her to her feet. Belatedly, she realized she had kicked off her sandals a while ago. She scanned the ground carefully. "Where are my shoes?"

"I've got them," said Kai. Anastasia turned around to see him holding her shoes by their straps in his hand casually, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. She tried not to gape. "Let's go," he jerked his head towards the car.

"I'm not walking all the way there barefoot," she said flatly.

"The car is five feet away."

"Give me my shoes."

"You'll take ten minutes to put these on," Kai rolled his eyes and stomped towards her, looking annoyed. Anastasia braced herself for a tongue lashing because, boyfriend or not, Kai was constantly telling her off. Instead, he sighed. "Fine. Come on," he turned around and patted his shoulder. "I'll give you a lift."

Anastasia blinked. Hesitantly, she touched his back, the last time she had seen it bare flashing through her mind again. Kai didn't notice, and she heard him huff in annoyance before he grabbed her arm, effortlessly slinging her onto his back. Anastasia locked her arms around his neck and couldn't help but let out a slightly hysterical giggle.

 _I don't think I can take many more surprises tonight,_ she thought to herself bemusedly as Kai began walking. Nothing in his posture or speed suggested that he had another person clinging to him with all her might. Of course not. He probably lifted weights heavier than her.

"Show off," muttered Anastasia, just loud enough for him to hear.

"You're lighter than I thought you'd be," there was a frown in his voice. "Don't you eat?"

"I just ate in front of you!"

"Not much," he mumbled. They reached the car and he unlocked the passenger side door, helping her inside and handing her the shoes he was still carrying. Anastasia took them from him, trying to hide her smile. Kai noticed. "What?"

"You're cute," she said simply. Kai made a face, and she laughed again. "Sorry."

Kai rolled his eyes, but didn't move away. Anastasia raised an eyebrow. "You want to say something?" she prompted.

He sighed. "Next time you freak out, just talk to me, okay?"

Anastasia blinked. "You?"

"Yes, me. The other person in this relationship."

"I didn't think you'd want to hear it."

"Well, I do," he said quietly. "Just call me, okay?"

"Okay," Anastasia smiled softly and tugged at his arm, pulling him in for a sweet kiss. "Thanks," she murmured. "You can call me too, you know."

"I know," he kissed her forehead. "But I don't freak out as much as you."

"I resent that."

"It's true," Kai finally pulled back and tugged at the seatbelt, giving her a pointed look before shutting the car door. Anastasia chuckled, tossing her shoes down and obediently buckling the seatbelt like he was constantly telling her to. She was playing with the radio by the time Kai slid into the driver's seat next to her.

"Hold this," he tossed his phone to her and started the car, his eyes narrowed as he looked out onto the empty driveway. Anastasia finally noticed that the garden lights had been turned off; clearly, there was someone else handling the finer details of their date night. "And why aren't we working tomorrow?"

"Huh?" Anastasia looked up from his phone, which she had already unlocked, because if Kai ever handed her his phone it was a clear invitation that she could do what she wanted. "Oh, because you haven't trashed the last prototype I made."

Kai frowned. "So?"

"So, the longer they last, the less I have to do," said Anastasia. The mansion gates suddenly opened with a mechanical whirr that Anastasia immediately associated with an automatic system. Her eyes widened. "Woah, how rich are you again?"

"Very," he deadpanned.

Despite his tone, it was clearly so true it made her snort. As Kai began to back out of the driveway, he gestured to Anastasia to keep talking. She complied, "Anyway, another Battle Royale should be enough to do this one in, I think, but since I know you won't want to lose just because your beyblade broke, try some speed tests on an uneven surface. Oh, and target practice, definitely."

"Target practice?" Kai didn't look away from the road, but raised his eyebrows at her words. "What exactly do you think I do with my beyblade?"

"You think I'm an idiot?" Anastasia snorted. Kai's phone beeped, and she opened his email automatically. "You have a meeting with Dickinson tomorrow."

"With you?"

"Without me," Anastasia scanned the email quickly. "I think it's about tournament registration and stuff. He sent it to you this morning but you never read it, Kenny just replied and confirmed that you'll both be there."

"This is more Chief's stuff anyway," Kai shrugged.

"You'd all be lost without him," Anastasia rolled her eyes. "And back off, my music," she added, not looking up from the phone and slapping his hand away as he tried to turn off the radio. "By the way, yes, I _did_ mean target practice. I know you use your beyblade to crash through rocks and trees, I _have_ been stalking you and your habits for months now, you know."

Kai finally looking away from the road to stare at her. "How did you –"

"It's not hard to figure out," Anastasia put his phone to the side and laughed at his expression of bewilderment. "Is this supposed to be a secret? Other people do it too, you know. It's endurance 101, we just have fancier equipment but you're accomplishing the same thing."

"It's not a secret," said Kai. "I just didn't know it was that easy to figure out."

"You know Dranzer isn't the only thing I know really well."

"I never said you didn't know me."

"And yet you're always surprised when I say or do something that shows you how easy you are to read," Anastasia smiled. "Don't worry, hotshot. You're still a mystery to the rest of the world. Too bad this act didn't work on me."

Kai didn't speak for a few seconds, focusing on the road. It wasn't until Anastasia had found an obnoxiously loud song and was singing along that he finally allowed himself to smile. "I'm glad it didn't work on you," he said quietly. Anastasia gave no indication she had heard, but he knew she had.


	23. Chapter 23

KH: _Have lunch with me. The guys are driving me crazy._

AN: _It's only 10 AM, you should all be practicing. Silently._

KH: _Lunch. Yes or no?_

AN: _Maybe. How's the beyblade?_

KH: _Won 2/3 so far._

AN: _My hero. Yes to lunch, it'll give me some time to look over it._

KH: _Do you have to talk about work every time I want to take you out?_

AN: _I like work more than I like you._

KH: _Saying that every day won't make it true._

AN: _You're so annoying. Is this what my life is going to be like when I'm your assistant?_

KH: _I'll go easy on you. You're really good at checking my emails._

AN: _What was that meeting about anyway?_

KH: _I'll tell you at lunch. See you at 1._

Anastasia smiled slightly and put her phone back onto the table. Idly, she flipped through the radio as she straightened the bed, towel-dried her hair, and tried not to daydream about Kai.

Her date last night had been, for lack of a better word, perfect. It hadn't hit her until much later on in the night, when she was trying to fall asleep but couldn't, that she was _happy._ Kai had made her happy, when all she had been for years with her dysfunctional family and a job that took up all her time was simply… content. Now, she was smiling and humming and already thinking about what to wear for her lunch date. Was this what it felt like, to be in a relationship with someone? She hadn't expected being with Kai to feel this easy. At the same time, with all his texts and his random displays of affection, it was _everything_ she had expected. His behavior had shown her, again, that he wasn't as bad at being with someone as he wanted her to believe.

"Anna!" Alice's loud voice floated in through the closed door, and Anastasia groaned. There was a loud knock on the door. "Are you awake?"

"Unfortunately," mumbled Anastasia. Picking up her phone, she wrenched open the door and glared sourly at the perky blonde outside. "What is it, Alice?"

"Hilary is here, and I made cookies," Alice grabbed her arm and began to pull her towards the front room, an evil smile on her face. "Come _on,_ we want to know _everything!"_

Anastasia flopped down onto the sofa and reached for a cookie, frowning when Hilary pushed the plate out of her reach. "Hey!"

"No cookies until you spill," said Hilary firmly. And then she raised an eyebrow when she saw what Anastasia was wearing. "Wow, what happened to you?"

"Thanks, Hilary," Anastasia sniffed. Her hair was thrown up into a messy bun, she was wearing her glasses, and she had changed into baggy sweatpants after her shower when she had woken up. Self-consciously, she tugged at the hem of her oversized sweatshirt. The material was comfortable, which was the reason Anastasia continued to wear it, despite the hot pink letters emblazoned across the chest that read _Techie Of Your Dreams._ "It was a birthday present, and I'm not going out until later."

"Good, so you're free to tell us about your date," impatiently, Alice practically shoved a mug of coffee into her hands. "Well?" she demanded.

Anastasia bit her lip. "I don't –"

Hilary interrupted her, pushing her phone into Anastasia's face and taking a picture of her. "Tell us everything or I'm texting this picture to Tala," said Hilary flatly.

"And then you _know_ it'll reach the whole world before it reaches Kai," added Alice.

Anastasia groaned. "Fine. Give me a damn cookie."

Almost an hour later, both girls were crowded around her with looks of wonderment on their faces.

"I did not expect this," said Hilary dazedly.

Anastasia gave her a look over her mug of coffee. "Really? That's all you can say?"

"What do you want me to say?" she demanded. "Kai's a romantic? _Kai?_ The guy who I've known for years and only seen smile three times?"

"I bet all three times were with Anna too," snickered Alice. Anastasia threw a cookie at her, and the blonde caught it, giving her a dirty look. "You want to start cleaning the kitchen, Nikol?"

"Shut up, both of you," Anastasia rolled her eyes. "I didn't tell you so you could make fun of him."

"Make fun of him?" asked Hilary in amazement. "Are you crazy? He's a genius, I want him to teach a class or something!"

Alice snorted. "I think Tyson would rather have _you_ give him dating advice, Hilary."

"I didn't mean Tyson," the brunette blushed.

"Yes, you did," Alice rolled her eyes.

Anastasia chuckled and watched the two girls bicker for a few moments before excusing herself, heading back to the counter to make more coffee.

"You haven't stopped smiling since yesterday," commented Alice when she came back, and Hilary nodded in agreement. "So, I take it Kai's okay with long-distance?"

Anastasia froze, a cookie halfway to her mouth, and gave both girls incredulous looks. "What?"

"You're leaving as soon as his beyblade is fixed," said Alice slowly. "And I'm assuming you guys have discussed what will happen when you go?"

"It's been two days, Alice, I don't think they're ready for that conversation yet," said Hilary hastily, but Anastasia was already staring at her feet, a small frown on her face. "Don't freak out, Anna," said Hilary reassuringly. "Kai doesn't want to talk about that, believe me."

"I don't think I want to either," Anastasia sighed. "Raincheck on that conversation, Alice. Maybe in a few weeks."

But Alice was persistent. "So this isn't a fling?" she asked. Hilary glared at her, but she didn't seem fazed. "Look, you two are cute and all, but you need to be smart about this. If this blows up in your face, you won't have a job for longer than just a season's probation, you could have to leave the All Starz team. Kai can help, but he won't be a beyblader forever. You'd have to travel to see each other, or one of you would have to make a major life adjustment if you wanted to get serious. I just think you need to think about all this stuff before you jump into a proper commitment."

Anastasia didn't reply, and Hilary turned to Alice with a scowl, hissing at her to keep quiet. The blonde girl didn't seem to understand the edge in her voice, but Anastasia did. Hilary wanted it to work between her and Kai, because she knew what he was like, and she knew if he was in this, it was serious. But Alice didn't know Kai that well – she only knew Anastasia, and she knew that Anastasia didn't like to leave things uncertain.

The two girls were busy arguing amongst themselves, and Anastasia quietly left them to it, heading back to her room. She felt faintly nauseous, and she sank onto the edge of her bed, chewing at her thumbnail anxiously. Alice was getting ahead of herself, but she wasn't wrong. Anastasia hadn't allowed herself to think about anything – the long-distance relationship, the travelling, how her relationship would affect her job – because she didn't _want_ to think about it. Because she was _happy._

She didn't even realize she was typing until she pressed send, and the faint sound alerted her to the fact that she had just texted Kai.

AN: _Tell me this isn't a mistake?_

KH: _I don't make mistakes._

Anastasia groaned. Why couldn't he be _helpful,_ for once?

Her phone buzzed again.

KH: _But if I did, you're the best mistake I could ever make._

Anastasia bit her lip to stop herself from smiling.

AN: _You're being sappy again._

KH: _I'm being honest._

AN: _So you're not saying this so I don't freak out?_

KH: _Why are you freaking out?_

AN: _Because this could backfire._

KH: _What if it doesn't?_

Anastasia hesitated. What could she say to that? There was always a chance nothing bad would happen, of course, but that chance was so low that she didn't know what to think. So, naturally, she focused on the negative.

AN: _Then I wouldn't know what to do. And neither would you._

KH: _We'd figure it out._

AN: _Would we? Or would we end up hating each other?_

Kai didn't reply immediately, and Anastasia sighed. She didn't know if she was pushing her luck or if Kai was annoyed that she was freaking out when she had _just_ agreed to see him again, but she didn't know what to do anymore. Talking to Hilary and Alice had only been reassuring for a few moments, when they were gushing about how sweet Kai was. As soon as they had started asking the questions Anastasia had been ignoring herself, she had panicked. The last time she had felt this anxious – like there was a weight on her chest that nothing could lift – talking to Kai had instantly made her feel better. She had already spoken to her sister the day before, but there was no one else who could understand just how complicated this was. It was a no-brainer that she would text him now, even if _he_ was the reason she was freaking out in the first place. Still, she couldn't help but think that maybe, she shouldn't have talked to him about this right now.

His reply a few minutes later only made her feel worse.

KH: _Anna, I have practice. Can we talk about this later?_

AN: _I'm so sorry, I know you need to practice but I don't know what to do._

AN: _You said I should talk to you if I freak out again. This counts as a freak out._

KH: _Did Hilary say something to you?_

AN: _It was Alice, but all she did was say everything I'd been ignoring._

KH: _Stop letting your friends tell you what you should do._

AN: _It's not about them. You're not taking me seriously!_

KH: _I am. Open your front door._

Anastasia frowned. _What?_

She jumped up and flew to the door, ignoring the questioning looks Alice and Hilary threw her from the sofa. When she wrenched open the door, her mouth fell open in surprise at who she saw leaning against the wall opposite her.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"You freaked out, and the drive here is only ten minutes," said Kai casually. He pushed himself off the wall and closed the distance between them, reaching behind her to shut the door. Anastasia continued to stare owlishly at him, slowly comprehending what he had done. She had texted him and expressed her anxiety about their relationship working, like he'd asked her to. In response, Kai had ditched his practice, gotten into his car and driven to her apartment to reassure her.

"You're not allowed to say you're bad at being a boyfriend ever again," she said finally.

Kai smiled a little and touched her cheek, caressing her skin softly. "Okay."

"And you're officially the romantic one in this relationship."

"That's a big responsibility."

"You're better at this than I am," Anastasia sighed and leaned her forehead against his chest. She felt Kai wrap his arms around her waist, resting his chin on top of her head. "Sorry I freaked out on you again," she mumbled.

"It's okay," he said quietly. "I'm glad you told me."

"And I'm sorry you had to miss your practice."

"I was wiping the floor with them, they were glad when I left."

"Then I'm sorry you have to see me when I look like this," groaning, Anastasia buried her face further into his shirt. "Any chance you can erase this image forever?"

"Can't. Hilary sent me a picture of you."

"She said she wouldn't!"

"She did," he laughed quietly and tugged on a stray curl. "I like the glasses."

"I hate them," Anastasia grumbled. "Don't try and be cute right now.'

"Sorry," he rested his chin on top of her head and rocked them back and forth slowly. "You feel better?"

"A little, but I shouldn't get used to this."

"Why?" frowned Kai.

Anastasia shook her head. "You're not going to run across town every time I want reassurance, Kai."

"I can."

Anastasia desperately wantedto say the words that flitted through her mind – _And how do you plan to do that when I leave?_ – but she couldn't bring herself to. Not yet, anyway. Not when he was clearly being so sweet and doing so much more than she expected.

"Well, anyway, now that you're here…" she sneaked a glance up at him. "Early lunch?"

Kai scowled. "Tala wants to come."

"So?" Anastasia raised an eyebrow.

"Is Tala a part of this relationship that I didn't know about?"

"He wishes," teased Anastasia. Kai didn't look amused, which only made her grin wider. "Lighten up. Tell him he can meet us there."

Kai rolled his eyes. "Fine. Can you hurry up and get ready now?"

"Why, you don't think I can pull off this look in public?" demanded Anastasia.

"I don't think you'd _want_ to," said Kai slowly. "Do you?"

He looked genuinely uncertain, as if she might actually want to go out in public, with him of all people, in what were basically her pajamas. Anastasia snorted and turned to open the door. "Yeah, _no._ I was kidding."

Kai shrugged and followed her back into the apartment, where Anastasia was only slightly satisfied to see Alice's do a double-take when she saw who had joined them. Fortunately, Hilary looked smug enough for both of them, easily engaging Kai in conversation about some team statistics that even Anastasia was impressed that she knew. Making a mental note to ask the brunette where she got all her facts from, she headed to her room quickly to change.

It took her longer than it should have to get ready, and she was more than a little anxious about leaving Kai with the two girls, who had only moments ago been interrogating her about their relationship and simultaneously gushing about how romantic he was. Even though he was friends with Hilary and she knew Alice wouldn't do anything to deliberately embarrass her, she nevertheless forewent brushing her hair, leaving it up in its messy bun to save time, and practically ran out of her bedroom.

"You look rushed," commented Hilary as she came skidding into the room. Anastasia tried to subtly gauge the atmosphere even as she leaned against the doorway and pretended to pay attention to the brunette. Kai was seated on the sofa next to Hilary, his phone in his hand as he read through something on it. He was looking at her now, his face in its usual mask of disinterest. Alice was looking at them both, her expression unreadable. There wasn't any _awkwardness_ in the room, per se, but Anastasia decided that there was enough tension for them to make a quick exit.

"Well, we have to go," she jerked her head towards the door apologetically as Kai stood up. "We have an annoying redhead to deal with."

Hilary snorted. "Enjoy your day. And don't worry, I'll head to the beach and keep the practice going," she added to Kai, who merely nodded wordlessly. In Kai's language, of course, that was an expression of gratitude, but that didn't mean everyone knew that. Anastasia rolled her eyes.

"Thanks, Hilary," she said pointedly. She thought she saw Kai smirk faintly as he brushed past her to the door, and made a face at his retreating back.

Hilary giggled. "It's fine," she assured Anastasia. "I speak Kai pretty well by now. You want to stop by the dojo after you guys are free?"

"I'd love to, but I have tons of work to catch up on," said Anastasia apologetically. "I really should have done it all today, but, you know…"

"No problem," Hilary looked slightly disappointed, and Anastasia immediately felt guilty.

"How about we have lunch tomorrow?" she offered. "I'll probably be at the BBA office in the morning but we can meet up after?"

Hilary brightened immediately. "Sounds good!"

Anastasia smiled, said a quick goodbye to both girls, and headed out the door. Kai was nowhere to be seen, which told her he had already gone to his car. And sure enough, after she raced down the stairs and staggered out to the parking-lot, she was out of breath and her hair was even messier than before, but Kai was leaning against his car door casually.

"You don't have to keep running after me," he said, as she came to stand in front of him. "I've been dealing with worse people than Hilary and Alice since before I met you."

Anastasia grimaced. "I'm not worried about Hilary, but Alice is a handful. And she –" abruptly, she cut herself off, not wanting to discuss what exactly Alice had said before he had arrived.

Kai noticed, but fortunately didn't say anything. He opened the passenger door for her, and Anastasia smiled at the action. She started frowning, though, when she sat down and he flicked her fingers away from the radio button.

"I don't _like_ your music," she scowled as he played one of his CDs, beginning to back out of the parking lot. In response, he tossed her his beyblade, which she caught automatically. She frowned again. "Are you trying to distract me?"

Kai sighed. "We listened to your music last time, Anna."

"Because it's better!"

"It's crap."

" _You're_ crap."

"You're being childish."

"Don't be all condescending with me!"

"Shut up."

"Or what?"

"I'll throw you out of the car."

"I'd like to see you try."

Kai groaned. "Do you ever stop talking?"

Anastasia grinned wickedly. "Let me play my music and I will."

"Fine," he spat. Cackling, Anastasia quickly flipped to the Top 40 radio station and gave Kai a smug look. He looked like he wanted to punch her. She cheered silently.

The rest of the drive was silent. Anastasia was content to examine his beyblade, occasionally humming along to a song she knew on the radio. She didn't know where they were going; she hadn't asked before they'd left, and since Kai was sulking, she didn't think she'd ask him now or he'd deliberately take her somewhere she'd hate. She was too engrossed in his beyblade, which she had painstakingly taken apart in her lap, to notice anyway. And, despite his annoyance, Kai could feel himself grow curious at her silence.

"What?" he said finally. Anastasia glanced up at him, raising an eyebrow. He scowled. "You look interested."

"I am," she said quietly. "I don't think you're going to be able to break this one, Kai."

Kai frowned. "Really?"

"Mmhmm," her tone was different now. She wasn't teasing him anymore.

"How can you tell?" asked Kai. For some reason, the fact that she wasn't saying much was causing alarm bells to go off in his head.

"The attack ring is significantly less damaged than the last two prototypes', and the defense ring is completely intact," she said immediately. "I'll need to run a few more tests, I can't tell just by looking at it like this, but this _might_ be it."

"It?"

"When did you become so oblivious?" she asked, but her tone was light again; she was teasing him. "It means I did it. Either this prototype or the next is enough to take Dranzer's power. Which means…" she trailed off pointedly.

Kai didn't answer immediately. They stopped at a red light and he turned to face her, eyes expressionless. "I know what it means," he said flatly. Anastasia would have been slightly hurt by his tone, if he hadn't reached for her free hand as soon as he began speaking. "It means you have to go," he said quietly.

A million thoughts raced through Anastasia's mind at that, the first and most important being Alice's words: _So, I take it Kai's okay with long-distance?_ It was the perfect time to broach the subject, and if it had been anyone else and any other situation Anastasia knew she would have. But this wasn't just anyone. This was Kai. She liked him, of course, but she _loved_ being his friend. The two emotions had bled into each other within a few weeks of them meeting, and she hadn't even tried to differentiate them until now. As much as she liked him, and as much as she _wanted_ this to work, she didn't want to risk losing him entirely. And a big, emotional conversation this early in the day, and this early in their relationship, would only land them in trouble.

So, Anastasia merely smiled and squeezed his hand. "How about we talk about that later?" she suggested lightly.

The relief in Kai's eyes was obvious. He kissed the back of her hand, clearly grateful. The traffic light turned green, the car started moving again, and Anastasia tried not to think about the fact that, in doing her job, she had just set a timer on her relationship.


	24. Chapter 24

_Bang!_

Anastasia jumped in surprise and reflexively threw the small metal disc she'd been fiddling with at the person who had startled her. The door to the lab she had been working in was ajar, and against the dim light she could just barely make out a familiar head of red hair.

"That's not funny, Tala!" she snapped. "Who opens a door like they're about to kill someone?"

"You're so dramatic," said Tala, not looking at all sorry for the way he'd burst into the room and nearly frightened Anastasia to death. He kicked the door open further with his foot and squinted into the dark lab, giving her a weird look. "Why is it so dark in here?"

"There are no windows in here, you moron," Anastasia glared. "And how did you find me?"

"I asked Kai," Tala shrugged and picked up the disc off the floor, examining it critically as he walked further into the lab. He was holding a towel in his other hand, and Anastasia saw that his hair was wet.

She raised her eyebrows. "You _showered_ here? At the BBA?"

"Yeah. You haven't seen the training area that Kai donated to this building, have you?" asked Tala in amusement.

"He _what?"_

"He has a lot of money and he doesn't like the training facilities that the BBA has for rookie teams that don't have their own dojo to practice in," said Tala matter-of-factly. "He wrote Dickinson a check last year and told him to build something good. The team gets free use of the gym, so I tagged along this morning."

"Oh," Anastasia blinked. "I didn't know he'd done that."

"He didn't want anyone to know, so I tell everyone who asks," he smirked. "Anyway, why are you up here? It's pretty late, I thought you'd be home by now."

"I was working at home but then I asked Kai to bring me here so I could work on his beyblade," explained Anastasia. She gestured towards the mess of electronics and metal pieces on her desk. "It's a slow process."

"I think Kai likes how slow it is," Tala joined her at the table, sitting across from her and tossing his wet towel at her head. She dodged it and gave him a dirty look, but he ignored her. "He told me what you guys talked about, last week."

"You mean when we both realized I have to leave soon?" Anastasia rolled her eyes. "It's not that much of a secret. We both knew this would happen."

"He thinks you're going to break up with him."

Anastasia froze. "He _said_ that?"

"Kai never _says_ anything," Tala shrugged. "But I can tell. He thinks this has an end date. You should tell him it doesn't."

Anastasia gave Tala a wary look. "How do you know it doesn't?"

"Because I'm not an idiot, and neither are you," said Tala smugly.

"And Kai is?"

"Only when it comes to you. Just talk to him."

"Careful, Tala, your inner human is showing."

Tala rolled his eyes. "You want to come see the gym with me? You might see Kai shirtless…" he trailed off, then gave her a thoughtful look. "Unless you already have? He's been sleeping at the dojo these last few weeks but you're together all day, I don't know how you guys operate."

"What do you –" Anastasia turned red when she realized what he was trying to say. "Do you have _no_ filter?"

"Nope."

"Well, it's not any of your business, so I'm going to use _my_ filter and not tell you."

"Prude."

" _Dick."_

"You love me," he winked and stood up, heading back to the door. "Come on, you can take a break."

Anastasia rolled her eyes, but one more glance at her blank computer screen and the mess on her desk told her she needed to leave the lab anyway. Progress on Kai's beyblade _was_ slow, but only because she knew what to do now. The more she hammered out the details, the longer it took to get perfect. And she _would_ get it perfect, she was sure of that, which was why she'd locked herself in a windowless lab for four hours to try and get some work done.

It hadn't ended well, she mused to herself, if she was following Tala into an elevator to spy on her boyfriend during his training.

The gym was three levels underground, and when Tala warned her about claustrophobia as they got off the elevator, she snorted. "I'm a technician, I live in basement labs and go without seeing the sun for days. I'll be fine."

Tala laughed and swiped an access card on a panel in the wall, gesturing for her to go first when the automatic doors slid open. Anastasia complied and immediately narrowed her eyes against the bright, fluorescent lights on the ceiling. The room was _huge,_ and lined with state-of-the-art equipment. Anastasia didn't know the names of half of the machines there, but she was sure it was every athlete's dream. It was also full of people, and she was slightly taken aback by just how many ridiculously good-looking teenagers were working on various machines, barely looking at each other. There was the odd person who was dressed in more clothing than the rest of them – she counted only two boys who were wearing shirts – whom she assumed to be trainers or coaches. As she stepped further inside gingerly and scanned the room for familiar faces, she felt Tala poke her in the ribs.

"They're over there," he said, holding her by the shoulders and turning her around. The BladeBreakers were in the furthest corner of the gym, and the rest of the people seemed to be giving them a wide berth. It wasn't surprising. None of the other teams were even faintly recognizable, even though Anastasia made it a point to always know who was in the game. The BladeBreakers were easily the most famous people in the room. And Tala was now dragging her right towards them.

"Stop pushing me!" she snapped, but he ignored her. Kai and Tyson were engaged in a battle, in a small beydish against the furthest wall of the gym. They had their backs to the room and hadn't seen her yet, but Max and Kenny were waving from their places on the floor, and Rey was jogging up to meet them, smiling brightly.

"Hey!" he called out, and immediately a few heads turned in their direction. Anastasia wrinkled her nose in distaste and tried to step out of sight behind Tala, but he merely wrapped an arm around her shoulders casually and drew her back to his side. Rey didn't notice. "We didn't know you were here," he addressed Anastasia. "If you're waiting for Kai, we're not going to be much longer. Everyone's pretty tired."

"Don't stop on my account, I'm just here to watch," said Anastasia. "How's he doing?"

"Pretty good," Rey nodded as they began walking back to the team. "We've done a lot of practice matches today and his tag-team skills are getting better. Max thinks the core is – hey, man, can we help you?" he suddenly stopped and addressed someone to Anastasia's left, her view blocked by Tala's spiky hair. She peered over his shoulder and saw that a bulky blonde boy had approached them, beyblade in hand. He looked curious.

"I was just wondering…" he began awkwardly, and Tala groaned quietly from next to her. Anastasia watched in amusement as the boy tried to find the words to express himself in front of members of the Demolition Boys and the White Tigers, both revered teams in the BBA. Taking pity on him, she decided to interrupt.

"What's your name, kid?" she asked kindly.

He gave her a look of gratitude. "Evan," he said, almost sighing in relief.

"Okay, Evan. You have something you want to ask these two?" she encouraged, thinking he probably wanted to speak to one of his idols – or maybe both – and was severely starstruck.

His answer threw her completely. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you."

 **!**

"Hey, Kai, you didn't tell us Anna was here."

Max's comment cut into Kai's concentration, and his eyes automatically flicked up from the beydish to meet his blonde team-mate's eyes. He raised an eyebrow. "How did you know?"

"Because she seems to be pretty popular with the rest of the guys," Max grinned and pointed to a crowd that Kai had seen gathering from the corner of his eye, but he'd been too focused to notice what they were all doing. Ignoring Tyson's protests, he immediately summoned Dranzer back into his hand and turned to see what was going on.

Anastasia was surrounded by a group of boys, in addition to Rey, Tala and two girls, but Kai didn't notice that. What he _did_ notice was that almost every single male around her was giving her his undivided attention, but judging from the looks of a few who were out of her immediate line of sight, their concentration had nothing to do with whatever she was explaining as she effortlessly took apart someone's beyblade and proceeded to put it back together, and everything to do with every _other_ aspect of his girlfriend's being.

Kai tried to reign in his first instinct, which was to stomp over there and lay some kind of claim on her so they would stop looking at her like _that._ He knew he couldn't, because not only would it annoy Anastasia even more than his fight with Johnny had, but it would probably cause some kind of scene. He especially didn't think he'd be able to stop himself from punching the blonde beyblader who seemed to find her legs more interesting than whatever she was saying. Fortunately, Tala seemed just as annoyed as Kai was slowly becoming, and was glaring ferociously at the group of boys.

Rey caught his eye just then, and said something that caused Anastasia to nod and begin to excuse herself, still smiling pleasantly. Kai watched as one of the boys, he couldn't tell which one, said something to her which caused her face to freeze, and then she scowled. He was about to go over there and demand to know what was going on, consequences be damned, but Anastasia had already hastily restored the beyblade in her hands to whatever condition it had been in before and thrust it at one of the boys, tossing her hair over her shoulder and making her way towards him.

"Take a walk with me," she demanded, her tone showing just how annoyed she was.

Rey was shaking his head from next to her, telling the rest about how someone had recognized her as a technician for the American champions and had wanted her advice on his beyblade, which led to a crowd forming as a few other people threw questions at her. Kai barely listened to him, staring at Anastasia for a few seconds to determine what exactly she wanted him to do.

"What happened?" he said finally. Anastasia opened her mouth, looking ready to argue, but he shook his head. "I just want a name."

"Evan," she said grudgingly. "But just forget it. Can we take a walk now? I _really_ want to get out of here."

"Just go," said Tala suddenly. Kai glanced at him, and saw that he looked thoughtful. He exchanged a look with Anastasia, and suddenly they both grinned wickedly. "Trust me," he added. "I'll record it for you."

"Thanks," Anastasia smirked and grabbed Kai's hand, tugging him towards the exit. "Let's go, hotshot. I haven't seen the sun in a while."

"What did you do?" asked Kai. They passed by the group of beybladers, and he glared at them, only slightly satisfied when they immediately began to look nervous.

"I can take care of myself," said Anastasia dismissively. "Is your car around? You know it's really unfair I still haven't driven it."

"You're not driving my car, you failed your test six times."

Anastasia frowned. "So? Do you like your car more than you like me?"

"Yes," said Kai. He swiped his access card and gestured for her to go out first, turning back to throw the room one last curious look. As the doors slid shut, he saw Tala hold up his phone, and the beginnings of a beybattle opposite him. A few seconds later, he distinctly heard a muffled explosion, loud voices, and a shriek that sounded like someone had just gotten kicked where it hurt.

"What the –" he made to reopen the door, only to find that Anastasia had swiped his card from his pocket and was dragging him towards the elevator, looking nervous but also giggling uncontrollably.

"I'll explain, I promise," she assured him, still laughing. They stepped into the elevator and Anastasia immediately took out her phone, tapping the screen impatiently. As they reached the ground floor, she finally seemed to receive whatever message she'd been waiting for and beckoned for Kai to come closer so they could see it together.

It was a recording, clearly made by Tala since the first three seconds were just him making faces at the camera. Abruptly, his face changed and the camera was flipped to show the same group of boys who had been around Anastasia before. Two of them were getting ready to battle, and Kai saw the blonde one, Evan, smirk and say something that made the rest of them laugh. It was too low for Kai to hear it, but he _did_ hear Tala curse in response to it, so he knew it was bad. Eyes narrowed, he watched as Evan fitted his beyblade into his launcher, and then frowned as it seemed to get stuck. He pushed it into the holder aggressively, eyes narrowed in confusion.

It all happened very fast after that. As Evan twisted his beyblade to get it into the correct position, there was a screeching sound like a tyre squealing on the road, and then suddenly sparks were flying out of his beyblade as it seemed to fly at his face, the edges smoking. Evan screamed and dropped it, but not before the beyblade had jetted past his face and landed smack in the middle of the group of onlookers. It took the rest of them a few seconds to realize what was going on, but by then it was too late. With a muffled _bang,_ the beyblade seemed to explode, causing people to dive out of the way and yell in shock. Kai distinctly heard someone yell, _"I think it burned my eyebrows!"_ before Tala's laughter could be heard as the screen finally went black.

Kai blinked as she took the phone away. Anastasia was biting her lip as she tried not to laugh, but she was also looking at him warily. "It wasn't all my fault," she said defensively. "I only rigged his beyblade to explode, but he must have messed with the wiring when he put it into his launcher, so it caused more damage than it should have."

Kai blinked. "You did _what?"_

"Don't judge me, I saved you the trouble of punching him!"

"I still want to punch him. And you should let me."

"I'm not going to do that," Anastasia shook her head smilingly. "This isn't what I need you for, Kai."

Kai frowned. "What does _that_ mean?"

Anastasia shrugged. "I don't want you to get into a fight over me, I can take care of myself. Don't get me wrong, the fact that you'd beat up whoever I asked you to is pretty useful," she added teasingly. "But I'm with you for _you._ Isn't it better this way?"

Kai grunted. "Agree to disagree."

Anastasia rolled her eyes. "Fine, grumpy. And where are we anyway?" she looked at the numbers ticking up on the elevator screen in confusion. "How tall is this building?"

"Pretty tall," said Kai. He hit the button for the ground floor again and ran a hand through his hair. "I can't believe you did that."

Anastasia smirked. "Yes, you can," she stepped closer, running a finger across the neckline of his shirt slowly. "By the way, this is a _great_ look on you."

Kai snorted. "Seriously?" he grabbed her elbow and twisted her arm behind her back, gently but firmly. "Not here, Anna."

"Where's your sense of adventure?" she teased.

"You have enough for both of us."

"Looks like I need to, since I'm dating a monk."

Kai raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to antagonize me into getting what you want."

"Ooh, _antagonize,"_ Anastasia giggled. "I never realized how many big words you use. Are you a closet literature geek? Do you stay up all night reading modernist novels and writing me love poems?"

Kai rubbed his forehead tiredly. "Please, stop talking."

"Make me," still giggling, she tugged her arm out of his grip so she could wrap both around his neck. Kai continued to glare at her, arms folded stubbornly across his chest. His expression didn't crack as Anastasia watched him smilingly, until she leaned in close and brushed her lips gently against his jaw. "If you stay this grumpy, I'm going to think you don't like me anymore," she said reproachfully.

"Anna…" he groaned quietly, his hands suddenly grasping her hips and pulling her closer. Anastasia smiled against his skin, her eyes fluttering close as he dipped his head down to kiss her neck. "Trust me, I like you. But," pointedly, he nudged her chin to the side with his nose so she could see the floor numbers rapidly changing as they came closer to their destination. "This is an elevator."

"I know," Anastasia smirked. "That's what makes it fun."

Kai was about to explain the fun they could have _outside_ the BBA offices when the elevator suddenly lurched to a stop, and a sharp beep sounded from the speakers next to the control panel. Anastasia and Kai exchanged looks of confusion and Anastasia stared at the doors expectantly, but they didn't open.

"What the hell?" Kai frowned and pressed the emergency button, while Anastasia dug her phone out of her bag.

"No service," she said, just as a scratchy sound came from the speaker and the beeping stopped.

The small light next to the speaker blinked, indicating someone had answered their call. _"Maintenance,"_ said a bored voice. _"Please press the button when speaking."_

"We're coming down from the fourteenth floor and the elevator's jammed," said Kai, rolling his eyes at the man's tone.

" _Yeah, sorry about that. Some kids pulled the fire alarm as a prank so we stopped all elevators going down, they should be running again soon."_

"Soon?" Anastasia frowned and elbowed Kai out of the way, pressing the call button herself. "What do you mean _soon?"_

" _Standard time before the motor is back up is fifteen minutes."_

Anastasia gaped. "You've got to be kidding me."

" _Sorry,"_ he didn't sound sorry at all. _"Please press the emergency button twice next time you want to get in touch with maintenance. Have a nice day."_

The light switched off, and Anastasia turned to look at Kai in amazement. "Did he seriously just tell us to have a nice day, _after_ telling us we're trapped in an elevator?"

"It's fifteen minutes," Kai rolled his eyes and pulled her back from the control panel. "At least we don't have to move. The guys probably have to run up three flights of stairs from the basement if someone's pulled an alarm."

"Next time, pay to have the elevators fixed instead of renovating the gym."

Kai snorted. "Tala told you?"

"His favourite topic of conversation is you," Anastasia folded her arms across her chest and leaned back against the wall. "You have to admit, he's a great wingman."

"He's never been a good one before you."

"I don't know if that makes me feel better or not," Anastasia slid down the wall, only to have Kai grab her arm before she could sit on the floor. She scowled. "I'm tired."

"You're wearing shorts, and this is an elevator floor," said Kai pointedly. "It's fifteen minutes."

"Maintenance _never_ takes as long as they say it will!" insisted Anastasia. "It could be an hour!"

"You're not sitting on the floor."

"It's not _that_ dirty."

"I've seen people throw up in these things."

"Then get ready to turn into a chair because I am not just standing here until someone decides to make this elevator work again."

Kai gave Anastasia a withering look. "I hate you," he said flatly. Anastasia opened her mouth to retort, but before she could he had already sat down on the elevator floor himself, stretching his fully-covered legs out and pointedly hitting her shin with his sneaker. "Sit."

Anastasia smirked. "You are way too easy."

"Just try to behave yourself," said Kai. His arms snaked around her waist as she settled onto his lap.

"You're so cute when you're being chivalrous."

Kai groaned. "If you're quiet for the whole fifteen minutes we're here, I'll let you drive my car all day tomorrow. Deal?"

Anastasia's eyes lit up. And then she frowned. "But I _like_ talking."

"And I like it when you're quiet."

Her eyes twinkled. "You could always just shut me up."

Kai merely raised an eyebrow, and she finally huffed in defeat. _"Fine._ Can I at least play a game on your phone?"

"I don't have any games on my phone."

"Yes, you do. I downloaded them for you last week."

Kai blinked. "Why –"

"I don't keep anything personal on my phone, I told you," Anastasia plucked his cell-phone out of his grasp and unlocked it, opening an app that Kai realized he'd never even noticed before. He shook his head wonderingly but let her be, trying to ignore how close she was to him and how easy it would be to take advantage of their current situation. He was only resisting because he knew there was a camera in the elevator, and the last thing he wanted was for another photo to show up in some magazine, in case whoever was watching the feed realized who they were. He couldn't tell Anastasia, of course, because then she'd freak out and all the progress they'd made in the last few weeks would go out the window.

Oblivious to his thoughts, Anastasia readjusted her position against his chest so her head was nestled into the crook of his neck. Her hair was in smooth ringlets down her back, and she flipped it over her shoulder carelessly as her thumbs continued tapping the screen of the small device that she was devoting all of her concentration to. A stray curl brushed against Kai's free hand, which was resting on her back, and he caught it reflexively. He wound the strand of hair around his finger and then twisted it the other way around so it straightened, only to have it bounce back into its original shape as soon as he let go. Kai had seen Anastasia enough times, and at all times of the day by now, to know that her hair just looked like this all the time. It still didn't explain why he was so fascinated by it, though.

"You're doing it again," Anastasia's voice broke into his thoughts, and he automatically let go of her hair. She paused her game and glanced up at him, smiling. "You were playing with my hair."

Kai rolled his eyes. "No, I wasn't."

"You _so_ were. This is like, the third time I've caught you," giggling, she switched off her game and tucked his phone into his jacket pocket. Ignoring his obvious annoyance, she switched her position and straddled his lap, pointedly flicking at his bangs. "I like your hair too, just by the way."

"I don't care."

"So you _don't_ like my hair?" challenged Anastasia.

Kai faltered, and Anastasia smirked triumphantly. "You have nice hair," he said finally. "That doesn't mean I was playing with it."

"You're only arguing now because you hate that I caught on," said Anastasia. "You only do it when you think I'm distracted."

"If you say so."

"I _know_ so. Do you like my curls?" she twisted a strand around her fingers and brought it close to her eyes. "You probably do. It's because you don't see them often in Japan, you know. At least, not natural ones."

Kai grunted. "Are we still talking about this?"

"Yes we are. You don't want to talk about it?"

"No."

"You don't care?"

" _No."_

"Fine. Maybe I should just get a haircut. Hilary's style is _so_ cute."

" _No,"_ snapped Kai again, and then glared at her when he saw her smirk. "You did that on purpose."

"I'm not getting a haircut, if that's what you mean," giggling, Anastasia rested her forehead against his. "Calm down, hotshot," she bumped their noses affectionately, but Kai merely turned his head away. She rolled her eyes. "If I promise to stop teasing you, will I be allowed to give you a kiss?"

"Only if you stop talking."

"You know, if I was anyone else, I'd think you don't really like me," she pouted.

Kai snorted. "Unfortunately, you're not anyone else."

Anastasia's eyes twinkled. "Want to try and prove that?"

Kai gave her an even look, before returning her smirk and tangling his fingers back into her hair. Keeping quiet for fifteen minutes wasn't too hard after that.


End file.
